Julie's photo Salvador Dalì Was Here was selected for this Silvermine exhibition featuring art, along with a statement by the artist
explaining the story and intentions behind the piece.
Salvador Dalì Was Here
Artist Statement:
| This was taken in Paris, France on 2/16/2020, our last trip overseas before the pandemic. My husband and I had just come back from a Jan Van Eyck exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, Belgium. After a long day, we entered the lobby of the Hotel Meurice. Dalí spent a month here, yearly for 30+ years, and Picasso’s wedding banquet was held in the Salon Pompadour. Le Meurice c1835, calls itself the “hotel of artists and thinkers.” This truly is the case, as famous guests included Piotr Tchaikovsky, Rudyard Kipling, Placido Domingo, & Yul Brynner. This was the night after the 1st person in Paris died from COVID, and the lobby was evacuated. I felt compelled to take this photo, inspired by the artists that stayed at this hotel and the lack of human presence. The clock on the wall evokes Dali’s Persistence of Memory, and the combination of the oddly placed work on the ceiling and the traditional crystal candelabra on the table give the photograph a surreal, disjointed feeling. |