A stunning painting by Salvador Dalí is now on show in the North East for the first time.
The giant work by the famous Spanish artist is called Christ of St John on the Cross and the late Dalí had set out to capture in it "more beauty and joy" than had ever been managed before. Now visitors to Bishop Auckland can see first-hand the result he achieved when the Spanish Gallery opens on Saturday.
The painting is now in position in The Auckland Project's gallery, which is dedicated to the art of the Spanish Golden Age, in readiness for weekend viewers - and they are in for a double treat. Hanging alongside Dalí's painting is one by another Spanish great: El Greco whose Christ on the Cross features a similar subject.
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Dating from around 1600, this work had been in a private collection for more than 200 years before coming to the Spanish Gallery to mark its opening last year. Together, the works, which will remain on show there until December 4, offer viewers a chance see how two greats - each considered radical in his day - depicted the same theme nearly 350 years apart.
Dalí', best known as a surrealist artist, said of his aim: "I want to paint a Christ that is a painting with more beauty and joy than has ever been painted before." He created his oil work in 1951.
It is on loan to the North East from Glasgow Life Museums, the city having acquired it in 1952 direct from the artist himself. It is said to be one of the most celebrated and reproduced paintings of the 20th Century. Dalí died in 1989.
The Spanish Gallery is open from 11am until 4pm but closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Tickets cost £14; £5 for five to 15-year-olds. Family tickets are also available. Find out more about the gallery here.
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