Dali

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About the artwork

In this sculpture, Dalí eulogizes his relationship with his beloved wife Gala, the heart-shaped opening in the wall representing their love. In his autobiography Dalí illustrates Gala riding a Unicorn, suggesting that the image of the Unicorn and eternal love for Gala were, for Dalí, sources of inspiration. The Unicorn is a mythical creature prominent in legends as a symbol of purity, the horn of the Unicorn was believed capable of neutralizing any poison. The Unicorn’s horn pierces the wall through a heart- shaped opening, from which blood drops. Universally celebrated as a benevolent creature that appeared in many diverse cultural traditions, the Unicorn is admired as beautiful, mysterious, difficult to tame. The distinguishing factor is the single horn; it is of significant interest, and is a recurring image in Dalí’s art. Dalí was also intrigued by the rhinoceros’s horn, fascinated by its perfect spiral logarithmic forms. Dalí’s Unicorn becomes a compositional synthesis full of multiple messages; the symbolism of the wall, the bleeding heart, Dalí’s love for Gala, and the woman in the foreground who adds a feminine and sensual aspect to the sculpture.

About the artist