UWF art gallery presents Salvador Dali exhibit

"Like Dante's epic poem, Dali's illustrations are divided into three sections: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory," - Suzette Doyon University of West Florida Art Department Chair

The University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) and Department of Art will present a Patron Preview Party for "Salvador Dali: 100 Woodcuts illustrating Dante's 'Divine Comedy'" Oct. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the CFPA Art Gallery, Building 82. The exhibit will be on display Oct. 6 through 27 and will feature 100 limited edition prints, all but three of which are signed by Dali. Admission for the preview is $14 per person, $10 per person for senior citizens, active military and UWF faculty. UWF students are admitted free with their Nautilus Cards.

"Like Dante's epic poem, Dali's illustrations are divided into three sections: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory," said Suzette Doyon, chair of the Department of Art. "Dali painted one watercolor to depict each canto from 'Divine Comedy.' The visual impact of these original watercolors was recreated in a signed woodcut series by using over 3,500 hand-carved wood blocks. The woodcut prints maintain the transparency of watercolors, and the effect is astonishing."

The Patron Preview Party is sponsored and will be catered by Varona's Fine Catering. Doyon will make a presentation about the work of Salvador Dali, and David Alvis, UWF faculty member, will speak about Dante Alighieri's fourteenth century poem, "Divine Comedy." Doyon and Alvis will be joined by students from the UWF Honors program, who

traveled with Alvis to Florence, Italy last summer to study works of art inspired by the poem. They will discuss the subject of Dali's illustrations with the public throughout the reception.

Salvador Dali (1904-1989), a native of Spain, was the leading member of the Surrealist movement. In 1951, the Italian government commissioned Dali to illustrate a new edition of "Divine Comedy," in celebration of the 700th Anniversary of Dante's birth. The commission was cancelled after an uproar from the Italian people who were outraged that the commission did not go to an Italian artist. Dali decided to continue and completed the illustrations on his own in 1963. Several editions of the work were produced in the 1960s and 1970s.

The exhibit is on loan from the permanent collection of Okaloosa Walton Community College, which received the print donation from Dotty Blacker in 1999. Blacker will be present at the Patron Preview Party, along with the Karen Valdes, director of the Okaloosa Walton Community College Art Gallery.

For more information or to reserve tickets, call the CFPA Box Office at (850) 857-6285. Tickets must be purchased by Oct. 2. Located in Building 82, the UWF Art Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Art Gallery is also open for one hour before all CFPA events. Admission during regular hours is free.