SALVADOR DALI: A LOOK AT HIS JEWISH-THEMED WORKS FOR ISRAEL AND HIS PRO-FASCIST HISTORY (IN-PERSON)

Dali is known for his paintings with their detailed, dream-like imagery. With the rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s, the artist painted several works which showed interest in Hitler. He was exiled from the Surrealists for his flirtation with Nazism. Decades later, he was selected by the State of Israel to create works for its twentieth anniversary. His series, Aliyah, for this celebratory event, are stunning in their treatment of Biblical and contemporary history. In addition, he created the giant menorah at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and a sculpture of the Kotel. He created striking portraits of Jewish figures including Moshe Dayan, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, and David Ben Gurion. This talk raises the question of how to evaluate his radiant Jewish-themed works and his feelings about Jews. Can we separate the man from the art?