Documentary Collection. Audiovisual and Sound Documents.

  • Salvador Dalí in front of one of the sets for Spellbound by Alfred Hitchcock, 1945

  • Photo of the filming of L’Âge d’or by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, 1930

  • Photo of the filming of Un chien andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, 1929

The aim of the Centre for Dalinian Studies is to gather and catalogue the audiovisual documents that  show any relevance to  Salvador Dalí. The collection  consists of more than 900 documents and includes the films in which the artist took an active part, whether in their conception of the film, in their  direction, their scripting or  design. The CED  also houses  a vast collection of archive images that include very diverse TV advertising spots, interviews and reports.  At the same time, the centre is collecting and  and cataloguing an extensive collection of documentaries and television programmes dedicated to the artist and focusing on his biography, career , passions,   geographic background and human connections.

Once the materials have been viewed  and catalogued ,the investigation phase can begin,  which purpose is to  contextualize and gain knowledge about the filming. These materials are of key importance, not only for the first-hand information they provide but also because they allow us to go more deeply into the more media-oriented facet of Salvador Dalí, considered to be one of the first artists to be aware of the power of image. His presence in this medium is in a way inherent to Dalinian creation and becomes fundamental in understanding Salvador Dalí as a person, along with his work.

As for the sound documents, the CED houses  a collection of over 200 documents in various formats, kept at Torre Galatea, the House-Museum in Portlligat and the Gala-Dalí Castle in Púbol. Thanks's to these materials, the CED   is gaining knowledge about Dalí's and Gala's musical interests, as well as  Dalí's participation in some projects. This collection revealed that the master's figure and work served as a source of inspiration for various record sleeves and musical compositions.