Dalí Universe

The Dalí Universe is one of the largest private collections dedicated to the work of Salvador Dalí, curated by Italian gallerist and collector Beniamino Levi. Established in 2000 as a semi-permanent exhibition in London, it functioned for a decade as a major public venue for Dalí's three-dimensional and graphic works before relocating permanently to Paris in 2010. The collection is recognized internationally for its focus on Dalí's sculptural output and has organized exhibitions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, reaching millions of visitors worldwide.

The Dalí Universe project was developed in the 1990s by Beniamino Levi and his wife Roberta Levi, building upon Levi's decades-long professional and personal relationship with Salvador Dalí that began in the 1960s and 1970s. Levi, who founded the historic Galleria Levi in Milan in the 1950s, had promoted modern and contemporary artists including Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, and Dubuffet, and became a key figure in supporting and disseminating Dalí's sculptural work. The Dalí Universe opened in 2000 at County Hall in London, occupying 3,000 square metres on the South Bank. It closed in January 2010 and permanently relocated to the Espace Dalí in Paris, France, subsequently known as Dalí Paris. According to a 2025 source, the collection has organized nearly 100 exhibitions worldwide in collaboration with major museums and cultural institutions, attracting over 12 million visitors. In 2025, exhibitions were scheduled in Warsaw and Vienna.

The collection is distinguished by its concentration on Dalí's three-dimensional and graphic works rather than his major paintings. It encompasses bronze sculptures dating from 1935 to 1984, drawings, lithographs, etchings, glass and gold sculptures, surrealist furniture, jewellery, and a selection of paintings and unique works. The Italian source notes the collection includes over 120 exhibitions worth of material, while the London installation alone displayed more than 500 works. The French source adds that the collection includes illustrated books and pâte de verre sculptures produced with the Cristallerie Daum. This emphasis on Dalí's sculptural and decorative arts output fills a significant niche in Dalí scholarship, as these works are less frequently exhibited in traditional museum contexts focused on his painting.

Among the most celebrated works in the collection is Spellbound, a monumental oil on canvas that Dalí created for the famous dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 film Spellbound. This painting was a highlight of the London exhibition and remains closely associated with the Dalí Universe identity. The collection also features monumental bronze sculptures, glass works, gold sculptures, and surrealist furniture pieces. The Italian source emphasizes that the collection is considered one of the most important private holdings of Dalí's work in existence.

The original Dalí Universe was housed in County Hall, the former seat of London's local government, located on the South Bank of the Thames in the London Borough of Lambeth. The exhibition occupied a 3,000 square metre suite of galleries, approximately 32,000 square feet, providing substantial space for the display of over 500 works. Following the London closure in 2010, the permanent collection was moved to Dalí Paris in Montmartre, which serves as the principal permanent museum location. A significant portion of the collection is also displayed at the Dalí Museum Bruges, situated in the historic centre of Bruges, Belgium.

The Dalí Universe no longer operates as a London venue. Its permanent home is Dalí Paris in Montmartre, Paris, France, with additional works on display at the Dalí Museum Bruges in Belgium. The collection continues to travel internationally, with recent exhibitions held in Beijing in 2018 and Liège in 2016, and earlier presentations in Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai, New York City, Florence, and Venice. The collection remains under the curatorial direction of Beniamino Levi, its president and founder, and continues to organize touring exhibitions that bring Dalí's sculptural works to international audiences.