Dali...genius or just really self indulgent?

I have always liked the works of Salvador Dali. One of his pictures (Leda Atomica) hangs above our double bed in Melbourne (actually I moved it before housesitters arrived in case they’re not into pictures of female nudes on the walls). This morning was heaven as I walked through the Dali Universe exhibition in London. One and a half hours of poring over his works; paintings, lithographs, sculptures, furniture and photos. Some lasting impressions are:

• his statement “Love must be ugly, looks must be divine and death must be beautiful“… such an artistic thing to say, but who wouldn’t want these things?
• his love for Gala, his wife of 52 yrs, with her initials found in many paintings and her face and body used as the female form in so many artworks. When Dali was told of her death he said,”..she is not dead, she will never die…” and indeed she hasn’t thanks to him.
• his crazy and self indulgent life; wild parties, up-turned moustache, living in hotels in New York and Paris, the extravagance…
• his genius and craftmanship. His use of colour, lines, cleverness in sculpture, symbolism and knowledge of beauty.

I am quite amazed by him, and feel kind of sad that he died as recently as 1989. They’re still selling his artwork to the general public and you can pick up signed works for as little as 500 pounds, of course most are several thousand pounds.A lovely morning, and a reminder of how COOL it is to be in London!

Title: My Wife, Nude, Contemplating Her Own Flesh Beconing Stairs, Three Vertebrae of a Column, Sky and Architecture. 1945.