Vancouver first Canadian city to get special Dali sculpture

Vancouver fans of the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali are in for a big treat.

Dali's famous Dance of Timesculpture has been temporarily loaned to the Chali-Rosso Art Gallery, markingthe first time the piece will be displayed in Canada.

Theiconicsculpturedepicts the melting clock motif and stands just over 2 metrestall.It's made of pure bronze and it weighs almost half a tonne.

"It is quite a big undertaking to bring it to Vancouver all the way from Europe," said owner and curator Susanna Strem.

"We had significant difficulty even getting it through the doors," addedOree Gianacopoulos gallery spokesperson.

Dance of Time

Dance of Time wasoriginally cast in 1984 in France. The piece represents Dali's interpretation of time as fluid anddancingbeyond humans and the cosmos. Itwill be on display for the public until September at the corner of HornbyStreet and West Hastings.

And there are 20more Dali pieces on display at the gallery itself,four of which are part of a larger collection of solid bronze pieces.

Each uniquepiece showcases a different aspect of the master artist's abilities.

Gallery features

On display is the Homage to Terpsichorerooted in the Greek mythologicalmuse of dance.It features two women.

"One is more soft and fluid and the other is more angular and you'll notice that none of them have a face because it's every woman really," saidGianacopoulos.

Othermotifs featured across Dali's work arefeatured in hisAlice in Wonderlandsculpture.

"Her hair is a bloom with flowers and her flowing gown," said Gianacopoulos.

Meanwhile, Surrealist Newton' is Dali's tribute to famed astronomer and physicist Sir Isaac Newton.

According to Gianacopoulos, Dali takes away his face and chest and stomach area because "people have forgotten that he was a human being as well."

And the melted clock returns in the Profile of Time a second piece that explores the sculpture's subjective interpretation of time.

Education

Gianocopolous says bringing galleries like Dali's to the city is an important part of promoting art education in Vancouver.

"In Europe, children are exposed to art from a very young age, so it becomes as important to them as science and math, so as they grow up, art is a part of their lives.

"I notice that this isn't happening so much in Canada."

The Dance of Timewill be in Vancouver until September. The gallery is both accepting donations and donating a portion of its proceeds from salesduring this time to the non-profit Arts Umbrella.

With files from CBC's Our Vancouver