The Castillo de Púbol reveals the secret connection between Dalí and photographer Horst

An unprecedented exhibition at Púbol Castle explores the creative relationship between Salvador Dalí, Gala and the photographer Horst. Photographs, fashion and personal objects are coming to light after decades hidden away. The exhibition will be available until 2027 and promises to surprise lovers of art and fashion.

Barcelona has a new reason to take a trip to Púbol: the castle Dalí gave Gala is hosting an exhibition that reveals the intense artistic and personal relationship between the Empordà genius, his muse and the legendary German photographer Horst P. Horst. The exhibition, which will remain open until January 2027, invites visitors to discover how image and fashion became tools of expression for surrealism’s most iconic couple.

The tour includes 27 pieces, among them 17 original photographs by Horst, some enlarged on vinyl and others previously unseen, alongside period Vogue magazines, a facsimile of Town & Country and the 1947 painting «Dematerialisation near the Nose of Nero». For the first time, restored personal objects are displayed, such as a necklace and three jackets, two belonging to Gala and one to Dalí, which had never before left the castle’s private wardrobes.

The exhibition focuses on the rapport between Dalí and Horst, who met in New York and maintained a professional relationship for two decades. Among the most striking images is a portrait of Dalí with his eyes closed, evoking the dreamlike universe of surrealism, and a photograph in which the couple pose by the sea, wearing garments specially designed for them. Far from being a mere accessory, fashion becomes a language in its own right here: Gala favoured bespoke Arthur Falkenstein jackets and striking necklaces, while Dalí attended to every last detail, from embroidered ties to his unmistakable moustache.

The president of the Fundación Gala-Salvador Dalí, Jordi Mercader, stresses the iconic value of the photographs and the importance of fashion in staging the couple. The exhibition also recovers historic collaborations, such as that of 1939 at the New York World’s Fair, where Dalí intervened in two of Horst’s photographs. The last documented portrait of the artist by the German photographer dates from 1960, showing Dalí elegant and defiant in his studio.

For those seeking to understand the evolution of Dalí and Gala’s public image, the exhibition offers a privileged view of their private universe and the influence of fashion photography on their legacy. Among the most singular pieces is a previously unseen portrait of Gala altered by Dalí in 1957, as well as a photograph in which models seem to float in the air, dressed in Hattie Carnegie designs, as a nod to the theatricality and surrealism that defined the period.

Púbol Castle, located in the heart of the Baix Empordà, is much more than a simple museum. Conceived by Dalí as a refuge for Gala, the space combines history, art and mystery in every corner. Since opening to the public thirty years ago, it has become one of Catalonia’s essential cultural destinations, attracting visitors from all over the world seeking to enter the artist’s life and work from an intimate and unconventional perspective.