''Portrait of My Father'' is an oil on canvas painting by
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
, created in 1925, depicting his father, Salvador Rafael Aniceto Dalí Cusí. It is now in the
National Art Museum of Catalonia
The (; ), abbreviated as MNAC (), is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, near Pl Espanya, the museum is especially notable for it ...
, in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
History
Dalí held his first exhibition at the
Galeries Dalmau
Galeries Dalmau was an art gallery in Barcelona, Spain, from 1906 to 1930 (also known as Sala Dalmau, Les Galeries Dalmau, Galería Dalmau, and Galeries J. Dalmau). The gallery was founded and managed by the Symbolist painter and restorer . The ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in 1925, before making his first trip to Paris and moving towards
Surrealism
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
. This portrait is considered one of the best from his early period, even by Dalí himself, coinciding with his return to Figueres after his final expulsion from the Academy. Dalí focused on the severe expression of his face and especially in the piercing eyes. The portrait demonstrates the forceful character of his father, who was a notary in
Figueres
Figueres (; ) is the capital city of Alt Empordà county, in the Girona region, Catalonia, Spain.
The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Dalí Theatre and Museum, a large museum designed by Dalí himself which att ...
, and with whom he had a difficult relationship. The technical mastery the young painter had already achieved at this time can be noticed in the cleanly drawn outlines, the treatment of light and shade and the expressive power of the sombre tone.
The technical mastery of the young painter is demonstrated in the sharply drawn profile, the treatment of light and shadows, and in the expressive power of the sober tones. Dalí's work shows a man with character, imposing and majestic, depicted from a three-quarter perspective. His gaze is directed at the viewer sharply, as if he didn't wanted to lose sight of his bright and rebellious son.
The posture adopted by the father in this painting resembles the artist's ''Portrait of Father and Sister'' (1925); but in this case, he appears dressed with more informal clothing and holding a pipe.
Exhibits
* 1925, Barcelona, Galeries Dalmau
* 1962, Madrid,
Casón del Buen Retiro
The Casón del Buen Retiro is an annex of the complex in Madrid. Following major restoration work, which was completed in October 2007,[Centre Georges Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...]
, Musée National d'Art Moderne
* 1983, Madrid, Museo Español de Arte Contemporáneo
* 1985, London,
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...
* 1986, Lausanne, Fondation de l'
Hermitage
* 1987,
Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art
* 1987, Barcelona,
Palau de la Virreina
The Virreina Palace (; ) is a building in the city of Barcelona. Situated on the famous La Rambla avenue, today it houses the headquarters of the City Council's Culture Institute, the (ICUB) and hosts various temporary art exhibitions and cultur ...
* 1989,
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, Staatsgalerie
* 1989, Humlebaek,
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, also known as the Louisiana, is an art museum located north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Attracting over 700,000 guests annually, the Louisiana is Scandinavia's most visited museum for Modern art, modern and contempor ...
* 1994, London, Hayward Gallery
* 1998, Liverpool,
Tate Gallery
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
* 2004, Venezia,
Palazzo Grassi
Palazzo Grassi (also known as the Palazzo Grassi-Stucky) is a building in the Venetian Classical style located on the Grand Canal of Venice (Italy), between the Palazzo Moro Lin and the campo San Samuele.
History First owners
During the 16th ...
* 2007, London,
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...
* 2007, Madrid,
Museo Thyssen Bornemisza
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum (, ; named after its founder, Baron Heinrich Thyssen, Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza), or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Museo del Prado, Prado Museum on one of the city ...
- Fundación
Caja Madrid
Caja Madrid, formally the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid, headquartered in Madrid,Inicio
." ...
[El Espejo y la máscara : el retrato en el siglo de Picasso, núm. cat. 76]
See also
*
List of works by Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí produced over 1,500 paintings over the course of his career. He also produced illustrations for books, lithographs, designs for theater sets and costumes, a great number of drawings, dozens of sculptures, and various other projects, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of My Father
Paintings in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
1925 paintings
Portraits by Salvador Dalí
Portraits of men