Friday, December 15, 2006

Salvador Dali's Monument Avenue Statue that Was Never Made

Salvador Dali's Richmond Monument Proposal
This is a drawing of the statue that Salvador Dali proposed for Monument Avenue. It's a monument to a nurse, Sally Louisa Tompkins... in Dali's proposal she is portrayed as slaying a dragon in a bowl of spaghetti, atop a giant finger.

Maybe it isn't spaghetti, I don't know, it looks like it might be spaghetti. Does anybody know of any other sketches or models? I'm not sure if this sketch is by Dali, or an assistant.

UPDATE!!: it ISN'T spaghehtti, she is standing in a petri dish filled with disease! It would have been made of ALUMINUM!!!

Here is a link to Larry Hall's article on Dali and Richmond.
Here is a link to a Style Weekly article on Roland Reynolds, Salvador Dali, and Sally Louisa Tompkins.

3 comments:

  1. There was a style article a while back on this statue. Apparently the woman represents a confederate nurse who's standing in a petri dish and slaying the dragon on disease.
    http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=8498

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  2. oops, dragon OF disease.

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  3. matthew - thanks! i will update the post.

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