June 11 – August 13, 2023
In 1966 New York publisher Samuel Shore commissioned Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) to create a series of artworks on the theme of the renewal of the Jewish people. “Aliyah, the Rebirth of Israel” is composed of 25 mixed media paintings including gouache, watercolors, and Indian ink on paper. They were reproduced as photolithographs and published in a limited edition presented in a folder with a letter of introduction by David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister.
The work illustrates the epic history of the return of the Jewish people to their homeland — expressed in drawings, sketches, and water-color paintings by the surrealist master. As inspiration, Dalí looked to the Bible as well as contemporary history to illustrate the meaning of the Hebrew word, “aliyah” which translates as “migration to the land of Israel.” But A Dream explores, among other topics, the place of dream in Jewish life and the dynamic of the encounter between dream and reality in the pursuit of sovereignty and freedom – weighty issues that continue to absorb us today. The exhibition will be accompanied by materials from the museum collection that depict Israel’s history.
But A Dream is presented in observance of Israel’s 75th birthday and has been funded by a grant from the Abraham Perlman Foundation.