Submission by Baird W. | Editor: Vincent Sherry
Today The Benjaman Gallery will honor the relationship between one of the surrealist movement’s founding fathers and a renowned Buffalo physician.
An art exhibit and costume contest will celebrate the late drawing master Salvador Dali. Fifteen of his works will be on sale publicly for the first time.
The art was acquired by the Klein Family of Western New York between 1972 and 1980, when the late Dr. Edmund Klein, a skin cancer specialist, treated Dali for an undisclosed ailment. This professional relationship turned into friendship as Dali and Klein grew close over the years.
Titled Dali’s Angels, the exhibit features many works centered on angelic figures. Dali actually inscribed the works with the phrase “My guardian angel” because of Klein’s success in treating and curing him.
The exhibit shines important light on Western New York’s high-caliber medical care. Klein won American medicine’s highest honor, the Lasker Award, which is sometimes called “America’s Nobel.”
Benjaman Gallery President Eileen Johnson herself went to Klein for treatment of precancerous skin cells. “Dr. Klein was an impeccable doctor,” Johnson said, “and I can see why someone with the celebrity of Dali sought him out.”
The personal relationship between Klein and Dali is a testament to their interest in each other’s work. Dali, always fascinated by science, actually had books about it at his bedside when he died. Klein was enthralled with Dali’s drawing and the inspirations behind each work. The artist would bring him work each time they met.
Today, between 7 and 10 p.m., visitors can enjoy a wine and cheese reception and the Dali costume contest. Prizes consist of a Dali poster, a Benjaman Gallery gift certificate and a signed Klein Collection catalog.
Benjaman Art Gallery
419 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222-2209
(716) 886-0898