Miss V recommended I check out the "Salvador Dali: Painting and Film" exhibit at the MOMA before it closes, so I headed there today. Fortunately / unfortunately it was Target First Friday there, which means that it was free (yah!) but also crowded as hell (boo!). The good news is that the exhibit was absolutely fantastic. Dali was such a strange genius with a unique and twisted vision of the world.
The exhibit is worth seeing just to watch the spectacular animated short Dali created for Disney called "Destino." Hypnotic and enchanting, it’s perhaps the artsi-est cartoon Disney has ever done. The rest of the film on display is remarkable, and at times distressing, as well. There’s toe-sucking, breast-grabbing, giraffes on fire, melting clocks, the whole nine yards.
Frankly, all of Dali’s work creeps me out… but in a good way. He puts everything off kilter, messes with perspective, puts human forms where they don’t belong, and has no easy narrative to latch on to. What a spectacular mess he was.