THE LUME Indianapolis Returns with Dalí Alive in March

‍

Visitors can step into nearly 30,000 square feet of the fascinating and mysterious world of Dalí in a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. THE LUME Indianapolis at Newfields features nearly 120 floor-to-ceiling projectors, remaining the largest continuous exhibition in Newfields’ 140-year history.

The exhibition includes important works of art from the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s permanent collection, including four original artworks by Dalí.

Dalí Alive is an immersive, multisensory experience co-created and produced by Grande Experiences, Australia and The Dalí Museum, St Petersburg, Florida.

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was a Spanish Surrealist painter, writer, sculptor, filmmaker, designer and showman known for his wild, larger-than-life dreamscapes filled with bizarre items such as melting clocks, stretched figures and fascinating dreamlike creatures. Dalí was born in Catalonia, Spain and received his education in fine arts in Madrid. Much of Dalí’s artwork and legacy was influenced by Impressionist and Renaissance masters that came before him.

By the late 1920s, he was moving closer to Surrealism and joined a Surrealist group in 1929. Some of Dalí’s most famous artworks include The Persistence of Memory (1931) and Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937).

The display further redefines how audiences connect with art and culture, engaging and inspiring guests to explore the life, art and triumphant accomplishments of Salvador Dalí. Visitors can engage with Dalí’s larger-than-life personality, his progressive ideas and highly imaginative and surrealist art on a huge scale.

‍

People can lose themselves in Dalí’s world of twisted landscapes, melting clocks and fascinating creatures before taking a deep dive into his psyche. Dalí Alive explores how the artist continually reinvented himself – his place, his person, his family, and his human transience – to overcome obstacles.

His personal and artistic moments of reinvention are shared through touchpoints of his life, highlighting Dalí’s early, formative years in Spain, his introduction to Surrealist circles, his influential time in America and the enduring cultural impact still recognised globally today.

In the final gallery, four of the five original Dalí watercolour paintings, created for the set of the 1961-1962 production of the opera The Spanish Lady and the Roman Cavalier, will be displayed for the first time in 45 years. The location of the fifth watercolour remained unknown and was never acquired by the IMA. These watercolours belonged to the opera’s producer, Lorenzo Alvary, and his wife, Hallie. About a decade after the opera closed, the couple chose Hallie’s home state of Indiana as the destination for four watercolours, donating the works to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in the mid-70s.

‍

“Following the success of THE LUME Indianapolis in its first two years, Newfields is thrilled to bring Dalí Alive to Indianapolis. This year’s display will undoubtedly be a memorable experience for guests of all ages and backgrounds interested in learning more about Surrealism or those experiencing a museum for the first time,” said Jonathan Berger, Vice President of Marketing and External Affairs at Newfields. “We are also excited to see how this year’s show will impact those in our community, the Midwest and nationwide. Newfields has been transformed by the introduction of THE LUME Indianapolis, bringing nearly 300,000 guests to the museum since its debut. We continue to challenge ourselves and look for ways to add new surprises, educate our visitors and welcome new audiences to the museum.”

“Visitors will enjoy the unique opportunity to dive deep into the imaginative world of Salvador Dalí and submerge themselves in his beautiful, iconic, and captivating art as we bring it to life. In my opinion, if Salvador Dalí were alive today, he would be creating in this exciting format,” said Steve Smith, CEO of Grande Experiences.

‍

Interested in bringing Dali Alive to your venue? More info here.

‍