Dalí and Horst: Púbol Castle explores iconic artist-photographer relationship

The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation has opened a temporary exhibition at Púbol Castle, in Baix Empordà near Girona, exploring the creative relationship between surrealist painter Salvador Dalí and fashion photographer Horst P. Horst.

'Dalí/Horst - Crossed gazes' is about "fashion and how clothing conveys a range of messages," which both Dalí and his wife Gala were very aware of, according to Montse Aguer, director of the foundation's museums.

The show, which opened this week and runs until January 6, 2027, includes two previously unseen garments as well as a photograph of Gala that Dalí himself retouched by painting directly onto it.

30th anniversary

This year marks 30 years since the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation opened Púbol Castle to the public.

Foundation president Jordi Mercader said the venue has allowed them to highlight Gala's role and her vision of feminism at a time when such perspectives were rare.

Mercader emphasized that over the past three decades, visitors have seen how "Gala is always present" behind most of Dalí’s works.

The castle has also helped "emphasize the importance of fashion and photography" within the artistic partnership of Dalí and Gala, Mercader said.

Aguer sees the couple as "pioneers" in projecting their personal image through fashion, which is why they owned pieces from prestigious designers such as Coco Chanel and Gucci.

"They were true dandies who placed great importance on the image they projected," the museum director explained.

Now, Púbol Castle is continuing to explore the couple's connection to fashion, focusing on photographer Horst P. Horst, known for his work with Vogue.

Close collaboration

Horst met Dalí in the 1930s, beginning "a very close relationship," co-curator Bea Crespo said. 

This was a time when "there were no boundaries between artistic disciplines," and artists often appeared in the same circles, she explained.

Among the exhibition's highlights are two restored, previously unseen garments, including a jacket worn frequently by Dalí in the late 1940s, seen in several of Horst’s photographs.

Two jackets hand-crafted for Gala by New York designer Arthur Folkenstein are also on display.

A photograph of Gala, retouched by Dalí, is shown publicly for the first time.

He was ahead of his time, Crespo noted, "painting directly on photographs long before Photoshop existed."

The exhibition also features Dalí's 1947 oil painting Dematerialization Near the Nose of Nero, a reflection on the Hiroshima bombing.

Dalí/Horst – Crossed Gazes runs until until January 6, 2027.