A special evening celebrating the work of two Spanish masters, Dalí and El Greco, will take place at The Auckland Project’s Spanish Gallery next month.
On Friday November 11, Daniel Sobrino Ralston, CEEH Curatorial Fellow in Spanish Paintings at the National Gallery will share his reflections on celebrated Spanish artists Salvador Dalí and El Greco during an intimate talk at the Bishop Auckland gallery, which is currently displaying iconic examples of their work.
The exhibition Dalí / El Greco sees Dalí’s Christ of St John of the Cross – currently on loan from Glasgow Life Museums – displayed alongside El Greco’s Christ on the Cross, which went on public display for the first time after more than two centuries in a private collection when the Spanish Gallery opened last year.
Separated by nearly 350 years, both artists were radical and innovative in their own time – El Greco with his deeply expressive use of exaggerated form and colour, and Dalí with his dream-like compositions rendered in lucid detail.
During his lecture, Mr Ralston will explore the intriguing parallels between the work of these two remarkable painters, surveying the revival of interest in El Greco and its relationship to the traditions of modern art in which Dalí participated, and then, in his fertile but eccentric later years, repudiated.
Clare Baron, Head of Exhibitions and Interpretation at The Auckland Project, said: “As we enter the last month of our current exhibition at the Spanish Gallery, featuring Dalí’s iconic painting Christ of St John of the Cross, we are hosting a series of exciting events to mark the occasion.
“We are delighted to welcome Daniel Ralston from the National Gallery, for what we’re sure will be a wonderful evening for anyone interested in learning more about these celebrated artists.”
Daniel Ralston said: “I’m tremendously excited to see and discuss these two remarkable paintings together.
“There are intriguing resonances between the art of El Greco and Dalí, despite the centuries that separate them.
“This extraordinary loan from Glasgow provides a special opportunity to reflect on the long history of Spanish art in the context of the Spanish Gallery’s unique collection.”
Tickets for the lecture, which will take place at 6pm on November 11, are now on sale via The Auckland Project website.
A £15 ticket includes exclusive access to the Spanish Gallery from 4pm until 5.30pm and a welcome drink.
While spaces are limited for the lecture, there will be a live stream of the event, allowing an unlimited audience to tune in. Live stream tickets are free but need to be pre-booked via the website.
The Dalí / El Greco exhibition will run at the Spanish Gallery, Bishop Auckland until December 4. For full details and opening times, visit their website.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
