Púbol, 31 July, 2014
From 31st July until 6 January 2015, a drawing by the artist is exhibited in the Library of Gala's Castle, in Púbol. It is one of the designs executed by Salvador Dali around 1970 to change the former Manor of the Barony into Gala's Castle, a drawing that had not been publicly shown before. Project for the Púbol garden joins temporarily those pieces that are permanently seen at the Castle such as Púbol View from 1971 and Swallow from 1957. Now it is a drawing related to the refurbishing project that turned the Gothic-Renaissance castle into the ivory tower Dalí offered Gala around 1970.
When the painter bought the castle, the building was damaged. Dalí became very actively involved in its restoration, as evidenced by many notes, sketches and drawings preserved in his legacy; a little-known collection where one can see how Dalí suggested solutions to improve the living spaces without ever forgetting comfort and taking Gala's likes into account.
This garden space designed by Dalí is a proposal for the decoration of the pool area. The details in architectural designs show a clear wish to give the garden a nostalgic air: in the style of Rene Magritte, Dalí painted trompe-l'oeil items so that the damaged paint revealed pretended cracks and bricks of the bank. Optical illusions applied to architectural elements are to be found in the pool area and inside the castle too.
The drawing Project for the Púbol garden can be seen in the Library of the Gala Dalí Castle until 6th January, 2015, the closing date of the 2014-2015 season. It enriches the range of activities carried out in the Castle, led, on the one hand, by the temporary exhibition Dalí-Pitxot, The allegory of memory and, on the other hand, by scheduled 20-minute long presentations given in Catalan, Spanish, French and English as well as free guided tours. We recommend you to check opening times before visiting the Castle.
