Jupiter Magazine: ‘Dali: The Argillet Collection’ Wows Guests at Onessimo Fine Art In Palm Beach Gardens

Reprinted from Jupiter Magazine

Extraordinary etchings and towering tapestries by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali have taken over Onessimo Fine Art in Palm Beach Gardens.

“Dali: The Argillet Collection” opened Jan. 6, featuring more than 100 powerful pieces by the prolific painter in the newly expanded gallery. The works will remain on exhibition through the end of the month.

“This show has literally traveled around the world,” spokeswoman Allison Zucker-Perelman said.

The collection has appeared in museums in Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland, as well as The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Its permanent home is at the Museum of Surrealism in Melun, France, and the Dali Theatre and Museum in Figueres, Spain.

“It took 15 years to get to this gallery,” Onessimo Fine Art manager Keith Spruill said. “But here we are.”

It also took two months to install. The works, all of which are available for acquisition, represent different themes; for example, “Hippies” illustrates Dali’s interpretation of the “love-and-peace” movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Gazing at Dali’s works during the opening reception, Christine Argillet, owner and curator of the collection, identified “Flower Woman at the Piano” as her favorite.

“It’s a question of how the artist related to the times at the time of the hippies,” she said.

Argillet’s father, Pierre Argillet, was Dali’s publisher and close friend. She grew up around the eccentric master and considered him part of the family. When her father died, she inherited the collection and embarked on a journey to present it across the globe.

“This collection was really the eye of my father,” she said.

Janiece Gad, a guest at the opening reception, called Argillet’s collection “spectacular.”

“She really outdid herself,” Gad said.

Nydza Boa, who also attended the reception, said she’s been impressed with Dali’s art since she was a little girl.

“Every painting has a story,” she said. “You see it once, you see one story. You see it twice, you see another story. You see it five times, you see five more stories.”