Salvador Dali : Liquid Desire exhibition at the NGV

Salvador Dali - Liquid Desire at the NGV. The layout and design of the exhibition is so thoughtful and cohesive - bold black stripes and a huge central flower arrangement characterise the 'Renaissance' room.

The design and layout of the NGV exhibition mirrors the variety and versatility of Dali's work. Above, the jewellery room is upholstered in plush red velvet panels. My favourite piece? The 'Royal Heart', a motorised jewelled brooch in which a ruby encrusted heart actually 'beats'! This piece was created to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

So it's not exactly NEWS but now that all the design festival business is over it seems an opportune time to remind everyone to go and see the amazing DALI exhibition at the NGV if you haven't already! It is seriously stunning and absolutely exhaustive... much more generous in size than many comparable international shows which have made the trek out to see us in recent years!

And if you thought Mr Dali was all about melting clockfaces and bleak landscapes, think again! Liquid Desire showcases the incredible variety in Dali's work, which included set design for both film and dance, textile and fashion design, jewellery design, illustration and graphic design for high profile publications such as US Vogue in 1937.

The exhibition also shares some thoroughly entertaining insights into the kooky character himself. One quote which got me giggling - when Dali compared Jackson Pollock's work in the late 1950's to 'indigestion'. He went to on appoint himself the new 'saviour of modern art'! Hee!

A huge thankyou to the NGV marketing team who sweetly gave me a double-pass to visit and review the show!

Salvador Dali : Liquid Desire

NGV International (St Kilda rd)

13 June – 4 October 09
Open daily 10am – 5pm and until 9pm Wednesdays

Ticketing - Adult - $23, Concession - $18, Child - $11, Family - $60 (2 adults + 3 children).

PS) A word of warning. This exhibition has been VERY busy. The inside scoop on NGV attendance for international blockbusters like this is that the opening month is crazy-busy, the closing month is even more crazy-busy, and you're safest to time your visit slap bang in the middle of the exhibition season. So August is looking good! Oh, and if at all possible, avoid the weekends! (But don't miss out!)

Salvador DALI, Study for the ballet Bacchanale (c. 1939). Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Figueres. Copyright Salvador Dali, Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, VISCOPY, 2009.

Dali's set design for Afred Hitchcock's 1945 feature film Spellbound was influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis. See how similar the finished set adheres to his original creepy drawing!

Dali's zany design for the 1939 World Fair in New York! Dali's pavilion, entitled 'Dream of Venus' incorporated 'liquid ladies' swimming in huge water tanks, and topless beauties reclining on satin-draped furniture. Bizarre mannequins and sculptures were positioned alongside backdrops of burning giraffes and melting watches. The ceiling was covered in suspended open umbrellas from which bats and telephone receivers dangled. Remember this was 1939! Can you imagine the uproar??