Inside the eccentric and surrealist world of Dalí: Visit to the Inside Dalí exhibition

I generally prefer to see in person the artworks of the artists I love. Especially painters, if they have painted a canvas, I am moved by the original work hanging on the wall of the gallery or museum that is exhibiting it.

Therefore, the thought of seeing the works simply projected on walls used to perplex me. In recent years, however, I have had the opportunity to visit several exhibitions of this type, with light installations and projections on the walls of the most famous works by the artist whose work is the subject of the exhibition, with background music.

From the tormented, eccentric, crazy, visionary and brilliant Vincent Van Gogh, to one of the founders of French Impressionism and certainly the most consistent and productive of the movement, Claude Monet, now it was the turn of Salvador Dalí, surrealist painter but also writer, designer, sculptor, screenwriter, and thinker, a multifaceted character with a very particular eccentric character. He was a multifaceted character with a very eccentric personality. So particular, in fact, that his eccentric ways often attracted more attention than his works.

His work, inspired by the unconscious world, can be admired everywhere in the world, although the greatest wealth of his work can be found in his hometown, at the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres, the Salvador Dalí House Museum in Portlligat and the Castell Gala Dalí House Museum in Púbol.

In Florence, at the Cattedrale dell’Immagine (Cathedral of the Image), there is an interactive exhibition dedicated to his life and works, Inside Dalí and I had the pleasure of going there, I love Florence and I love Dalí, and if I can put the two things together, for me it is the perfect combo and I could not miss such an opportunity.

These kinds of exhibitions, where art becomes digital, are called immersive precisely to immerse the viewer not only in the artist's art but in his entire world at 360 degrees, having a multisensory experience.

The immersive part is preceded by a typical large museum area, where people can get to know Dalí better in every aspect, learning and admiring some of his lesser-known works.

In this area, you can see the records he produced, his books, films, sculptures, illustrations and even an advertising campaign for the French railways and some photographic portraits of the artist as he loved photography and loved to be photographed.

Yes, because Salvador Dali, all his life long craved success and cultivated with care and devotion his own image of celebrity, his goal in fact was that his genius be recognised by everyone and he invested all his intellectual and artistic efforts in this.

In the second room, the one I preferred, you are inside the deconsecrated church of Santo Stefano al Ponte, near the Ponte Vecchio, and it is one of the unknown masterpieces of the Florentine architectural heritage.

Once inside, you no longer feel like you are inside a church, but are catapulted into Dalí's mind and art according to his vision.

Scroll down by clicking the > symbol on the image to see the pictures.

A screening of his most famous works lasting about 35 minutes with background music will literally immerse you in paintings such as 'The Persistence of Memory', or 'Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening', as if you were there. Every wall, even the altar of the church become like canvases to bring his paintings to life in multiple dimensions.

I literally lay down on the ground, resting my head on my backpack, to relax and enjoy every image that passed before my eyes. It's worth it.

The last room, a gem, is the mirror room, where paintings such as 'girl at the window' are also projected, but with digital technology, the play of light and reflections given by the many mirrors, makes us feel as if we are in a surreal and absurd situation, like this man with the long, thin, upside-down moustache was, and that we ourselves become the centre of his painting, of his art.

For anyone interested in going to see the exhibition, there is good news. It was supposed to be over by now but it has been extended until Monday 25 April! In my opinion, it's worth a trip to Florence, a tour of the beautiful city and a chance to see the exhibition and relax while admiring the paintings of this undisputed genius, with sweet melodies accompanying this interactive journey.