When Salvador Dalí painted (and promoted) the Datsun 610 Wagon

21 Apr

Salvador Dalí has ​​been one of the most charismatic artists in the history of Spain and also worldwide. Considered one of the greatest representatives of surrealism, many of his works are etched in the minds of most of society. Although Dalí was not a great driver (his chauffeur Artur Caminada or his wife Gala used to take him), he did feel a certain fascination with the world of motorsports. Now we are going to tell you the peculiar story it had with the Datsun 610 Wagon.

Dalí had represented cars in some of his works such as Bañista (1924), Soledad paranoico-crítica (1935) or Automóviles vestidos (1941); but always with its marked style and peculiar point of view. However, in 1972 he received a very different commission from the previous one. Japanese manufacturer Datsun (owned by Nissan) wanted to advertise one of its models that was to land on the American market and commissioned four renowned painters to interpret it. One of them was Salvador Dalí.

As can be seen in the original advertisement, Dalí painted the Datsun 610 Wagon on a deformed watch, a resource well known for the painting The Persistence of Memory (1931). The truth is that the vehicle does not appear too integrated in the box, as it seems an addition without much sense. Despite this, on a commercial level it fulfilled its function and we assume that the painter would receive a large sum of money for the work. The original is currently in the Salvador Dalí Museum in Petersburg, Florida, as Nissan gave it to him a few years ago.

And related to this economic aspect, Salvador Dalí also received a vehicle as part of the payment for this advertisement. The brand gave him a Datsun 180B Wagon in orange, a striking-looking familiar that was not often seen in Spain. The curious thing is that this car can currently be visited, since it is exposed in the Castle of Púbol. Although it had been used by the painter’s service and later abandoned in the haystack, Fundación Gala – Salvador Dalí bought and restored it for its exhibition.

Dalí’s curious relationship with Datsun did not end there. In addition to painting that 610 Wagon for the print media, an advertisement for television was also filmed. This spot shows the family car entering the Persistence of memory box (which becomes the common thread) and later the painter doing some of its characteristic poses and showing the benefits of the vehicle. One of those curious stories that is worth rescuing.