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Renowned Dealer Emmanuel Di Donna Closes Madison Avenue Gallery With Major Salvador Dalí Exhibition
The show "Dalí: The Great Years, 1929–1939" brings rare museum loans to New York as Di Donna prepares to open a new joint venture.
Mar. 19, 2026 at 4:19pm
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As veteran art dealer Emmanuel Di Donna prepares to close his Madison Avenue gallery, he is mounting one of the most significant exhibitions of Salvador Dalí's work seen in New York in decades. "Dalí: The Great Years, 1929–1939" will feature over two dozen paintings, sculptures, and works on paper focused on the decade when Dalí forged his visual language and public persona. The exhibition, which runs from April 16 to June 13, brings together loans from major institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, SFMOMA, and the Salvador Dalí Museum in Florida. It will be the last show staged in Di Donna's current space before he embarks on a new joint venture with Pace and David Schrader.
Why it matters
This exhibition provides a rare opportunity for the public to see a comprehensive presentation of Dalí's work from the pivotal 1929-1939 period, when he developed his signature Surrealist style and public persona. Dalí is one of the most recognizable names in 20th-century art, but his reputation has often been flattened into a few iconic images. This show aims to deepen understanding of the psychological depth and formal rigor of his early career.
The details
The exhibition "Dalí: The Great Years, 1929–1939" focuses on the decade when the artist aligned himself with the Surrealists, developed his paranoiac-critical method, and began producing the imagery that would define his legacy. The works reveal Dalí's approach as deeply intellectual and deliberately theatrical, collapsing the boundary between the unconscious and the visible world. During this period, Dalí also expanded his practice beyond painting, collaborating with figures like Coco Chanel and Harpo Marx and treating popular culture as material to be reshaped.
- The exhibition will be on view from April 16 through June 13, 2026.
- Di Donna Galleries will close this Madison Avenue location after this exhibition.
The players
Emmanuel Di Donna
A veteran art dealer who is closing his Madison Avenue gallery and preparing to open a new joint venture with Pace and David Schrader.
Salvador Dalí
The renowned Surrealist artist whose work from the 1929-1939 period is the focus of this major exhibition.
What they’re saying
“There hasn't been a proper Dalí show in New York in years.”
— Emmanuel Di Donna, Art Dealer
“that decade is when Dalí became Dalí.”
— Emmanuel Di Donna, Art Dealer
What’s next
After the exhibition closes, Di Donna will officially open his new joint venture with Pace and David Schrader, marking a new chapter in his career.
The takeaway
This exhibition provides a timely reexamination of Salvador Dalí's early Surrealist work, moving beyond the iconic images to reveal the depth and complexity of his artistic practice during a formative decade. As Di Donna transitions to a new venture, this show serves as a culmination of his efforts to expand understanding of Surrealism and its legacy.
