A 'celebrated' Salvador Dalí painting will go on display for the first time ever in the North East between July and December this year.
Dalí's Christ of St John on the Cross will be shown at Bishop Auckland's Spanish Gallery from July 9 - December 4 alongside El Greco's Christ on the Cross, uniting two Spanish masterpieces inside the UK's first gallery dedicated to the art of the Spanish Golden Age. One of the most reproduced paintings of the 20th century, Dalí's masterpiece has been loaned from Glasgow Life Museums, after the city acquired the artwork in 1952.
The Spanish Gallery's first ever temporary exhibition aims to celebrate two of art's most idiosyncratic painters and compare their reinvention of the subject of Christ on the Cross. The latter's painting went on public display for the first time after more than two centuries in a private collection when the Spanish Gallery opened last year.
Read more: First gallery in the UK dedicated to Spanish art, culture and history to open in County Durham
Dalí's Christ of St John of the Cross was last loaned to a UK institution in 2017, visiting London's Royal Academy. Of the painting, Dalí said: "I want to paint a Christ that is a painting with more beauty and joy than has ever been painted before."
Separated by nearly 350 years, both works convey landscapes based on places the artists lived and worked from the greenery of Toledo to the coastal backdrop of Portlligat. However, that is where the similarities end, with each artist offering contrasting perspectives on the theme.
According to experts, El Greco depicts Christ as a real living man and forces the viewer to come face to face with Christ's suffering. However, Dalí presents an anonymous figure viewed from on high, emphasising his role as the Son of God and the magnitude of the sacrifice witnessed.
Jonathan Ruffer, Founder of the Auckland Project, said: "Our Spanish Gallery has several examples of 'Christ on the Cross' painted some 400 years ago, including our example by master of the Golden Age El Greco. The generous loan of Dalí’s iconic ‘Christ of St John on the Cross’ gives an opportunity for putting the same image from today’s world with that of the past and ask the question - are they really paintings of the same thing?"
Former director of Glasgow Museums Dr. Tom Honeyman, who acquired the work on behalf of the city of Glasgow, expressed Dalí's eagerness to loan the work as widely as possible, aligning with the Spanish Gallery's mission to make extraordinary example of Spanish art available to the British public. Dr. Honeyman said: "If I were ever asked what I would do with the Dali, I think I would reply on these lines: Put it into circulation as much and as frequently as possible."
Though the Spanish Gallery has been open to visitors since October 2021, its official opening took place in April and saw Her Majesty The Queen of Spain and HRH the Prince of Wales cut the ribbon. The gallery aims to complement the Spanish masterpieces by Francisco de Zurbarán held in next door Auckland Castle for over 250 years.
Once the painting has finished its stint at the Spanish Gallery, it will return to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, considered to be one of the finest art collections in Europe. For more information on the Spanish Gallery, visit its website.
Have you been to the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland yet? Let us know!
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