Celebrated Dalí painting goes on display at the Auckland Project’s Spanish Gallery

The Auckland Project unites two Spanish masterpieces from British collections at the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland. Acquired by Glasgow city in 1952 directly from the artist, Salvador Dalí’s Christ of St John of the Cross is one of the most celebrated and reproduced paintings of the 20th century.

Officially opened in April by Her Majesty the Queen of Spain and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, the Gallery complements and contextualises the Spanish masterpieces by Francisco de Zurbarán held in next door Auckland Castle for over 250 years.

Dalí’s Christ of St John of the Cross was last loaned to a UK institution in 2017, visiting London’s Royal Academy. It has never been on display in the North East before.

Former director of Glasgow Museums Dr. Tom Honeyman, who acquired the work on behalf of the city of Glasgow, expressed Dalí’s eagerness to loan the work as widely as possible, aligning with the Spanish Gallery’s mission to make extraordinary examples of Spanish art available to the British public.

Jonathan Ruffer, Founder of The Auckland Project, said: “It’s curiously hard to say thank you properly for something so wonderfully generous that mere words of thanks really are not enough.

Duncan Dornan, Glasgow Life’s Head of Museums and Collections, said: “Displaying this treasured painting in a new way enables us to widen our understanding of the incredible artist, Salvador Dali who painted this iconic artwork, which remains a favourite with Glaswegians and visitors to the city. It will go back on show at Kelvingrove early in 2023.

“Glasgow’s art collection is considered one of the finest in Europe and loaning key pieces allows people across the country to access and enjoy them, bolstering our reputation. These partnerships also allow visitors to Glasgow Life Museums to enjoy beautiful artworks from other important collections.”