The University of Mimar Sinan in collaboration with InArtis and Kult presents an exhibition of the surrealist paintings of Salvador Dali at Gallery Tophane-i Amir. Opening on the 23rd of December the exhibition will be open to the public until the 26th fo February. The gallery will show a hundred and twenty-one pieces, among them the 'Divine Comedy'-series, 'Surrealism marks', and 'Dinner with Gala'.

Dante Alighieri's epic poem “The Divine Comedy” is a reflection on the medieval imagination of the Christian afterlife and it's division into heaven, hell and purgatory. The piece was an inspiration for many artists, among them Botticelli, Flaxman, Blake, Delacroix, Rodin, and of course Salvador Dali. The poem was written between the Middle ages and the beginning of the Renaissance in Florence, Italy, and is one of the first works to be written in the local dialect of Florence – the basis of modern Italian. 

The “Divine Comedy” is a carefully crafted masterpiece, giving equal space to the three realms of the afterlife: 33 cantos for Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso each, plus an additional canto to introduce the reader to the work, bringing the total to a round number of 100 cantos. The whole work, from the general structure down to the individual stanzas, is based on numeric rules and symbolism. 

At first glance it seems strange that the Surrealist Dali was attracted to a template like this, but it's rigid adherence to structure may have been one of the reasons for Dali's attraction towards it. Surrealism was developed between the first and the second world war, a time that was the product of the destructive logic of the Industrial age. It denies logic and it borrows the work of the first dadaists. According to surrealism, systematical research and experiment comes first, and it explains art as a pathfinder for people who are exploring themselves. The series on the Divine Comedy marks an important step in Dali's artistic development.

On the other side of Dali's spectrum the exhibition features the series 'Dinner with Gala', painted in 1971 and consisting of 12 coloured lithograpies. Here one of Dali's more private passions is played upon: Food. One of the new ideas in Surrealism was that anything was possible, including making art with or about food. In his studio, food symbolism took on many different characters. The famous Eucharistic bread, featured in paintings like 'The Madonna of Port Lligat' and 'Nuclear Cross', are so perfectly done, they are thought to be almost photographic in their sharp realism. With his surrealist stories which are being displayed in this art gallery, Dali satisfied his childhood wish of being a cook. 

Both dali's extraordinary talent and odd personality helped him to rise above the rest of the Surrealists of the 20th century. His artwork and influences can be seen almost everywhere around the world. His explicit and controversial paintings are some of the world's most famous - and infamous, and his rebellious and independent attitude towards art and politics set him aside from other painters, leaving a mark on Surrealist painting forever. 

Dali showed surrealism in everything he said and every work he did. His way of thinking was not just dramatic and unconventional, but also shocking, fantastic and outrageous. Salvador Dali is one of the great artistic innovators of all time, and has his place at the pinnacle of modern art history.