Unveiling Salvador Dalí's 'Bacchanale' Ballet Designs: "El Dalí más grande del mundo" Exhibition in Spain

This exhibition showcases for the first time in Spain the original curtain designs by Salvador Dalí for the ballet 'Bacchanale', which he described as the first paranoid ballet. It delves into Dalí's collaboration with Léonide Massine, Coco Chanel, and others, exploring the ballet's themes, historical context, and Dalí's unique artistic and psychoanalytic interpretations.

The Círculo de Bellas Artes presents "El Dalí más grande del mundo," an exhibition dedicated to Salvador Dalí's original curtain designs and set pieces for the ballet "Bacchanale." This marks the first time these elements are shown in Spain. Dalí, who called "Bacchanale" the first paranoid ballet, not only wrote the libretto but also designed the sets and costumes. The work, created with the Ballet Russe de Montecarlo, premiered in 1939 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and was subsequently performed until 1967. The exhibition details Dalí's extensive collaboration with choreographer Léonide Massine, as well as contributions from fashion icon Coco Chanel for costume realization and Barbara Karinska for final garment construction. The set design was a close collaboration between Dalí and Prince Alexandre Schervachidze. The ballet itself used an adaptation of Wagner's opera 'Tannhäuser,' with Dalí interpreting the story through his paranoiac-critical method and Freudian psychoanalysis, focusing on themes of romantic chaos and the identification of King Ludwig II of Bavaria with Tannhäuser. The exhibition highlights Dalí's visual representation of these themes, including a central Monte de Venus, references to Leda and the feminine sin, and influences from Renaissance art like Raphael's 'The Marriage of the Virgin.' Symbolic elements such as skulls and drawers representing the unconscious are integrated, reflecting Dalí's interest in the ambiguity of vision and layered imagery, drawing from 15th-century Flemish painting and the Renaissance.

General admission tickets are required to access the exhibition. Tickets can be purchased online. A special theatrical visit is also offered, which includes free access to the exhibition upon ticket retrieval. Different ticket prices are available for general admission, reduced entry, and members of Círculo de Bellas Artes. The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 14:00, and also from 17:00 to 21:00. Mondays are closed. The theatrical visit runs from 19:00 to 20:00 on specific dates in December and January.