Salvador Dalí Works Rescued From Dumpster Debut Thursday at The Muck

The Muck's Salvador Dalí exhibit opens this Thursday April 25 and is free and open to the public (RSVP link here). On Tuesday April 30 at 10am, guest curator Annabella Pritchard and Muck CEO Farrell Hirsch will host a virtual press chat about the exhibit's content (RSVP here).

Rescued before being hauled to a dumpster, a collection of lesser-known works by surrealist Salvador Dalí makes its debut in a masterfully curated public exhibition at The Muckenthaler Cultural Center. 

From the private collection of Ben Feldman, the exhibition is curated by Annabella Pritchard and features more than 50 signed pieces including Woman Aflame, Space Elephant, and the Pantagruel suite.

Ben Feldman is a Washingtonian who spends most weekends exploring the hollers of Appalachia, and thought he'd seen it all. But nothing quite prepared him for stumbling upon a Dalí collection that had been in boxes on the floor of a storage room for nearly 20 years.  

Muck CEO Farrell Hirsch says, “The rescue of this collection is a story unto itself, and worthy of the surrealist bent of the artist. It's one of those rare moments when the story behind a great art show rivals the art itself. 

This year we start the centennial celebrations for both Surrealism and The Muckenthaler Mansion. This exhibit manages to celebrate both of those milestones featuring Dalí as a catalyst for 100 years of seismic changes in the relationship between art and society and the rise of the celebrity artist. 

The show is part history lesson -- albeit a distinctly indirect one. We could not be more grateful to Mr. Feldman for sharing this amazing collection and its unique story with the Muck.” The collection features prints, sculptures, and the Pantagruel suite: The suite of lithographs illustrates the dreams and tales of two giants, father and son – Gargantua & Pantagruel – as written in a series of powerful novels drafted in 16th century France by the incomparable François Rabelais.

The Muck is open 10am-5pm Monday through Friday, with special Sunday hours for this exhibit 11am - 4pm  (4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 6/2, 6/9, 6/23, 6/30) and 11am - 2pm (6/16).