Shirley Temple, The Youngest, Most Sacred Monster of the Cinema in Her Time
Encyclopedia
Shirley Temple, The Youngest, Most Sacred Monster of the Cinema in Her Time (or Shirley Temple, The Youngest, Most Sacred Monster of Contemporary Cinema), also known as the Barcelona Sphinx is a 1939 artwork in gouache
, pastel
and collage
on cardboard, by surrealist painter Salvador Dalí
. It measures 75 cm x 100 cm (29.5 inches x 39.5 inches). It is housed in the Netherlands, at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
, Rotterdam
's principal art gallery.
It was first shown at an exhibition held at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, from March 21 to April 18, 1939 (although the exhibition catalogue does not mention the painting, an article in the New York Times mentions its presence). It has also been exhibited in 1983 at the Palau Reial de Pedralbes
in Barcelona, in 1985 at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Charleroi
, and again in Barcelona in 2004, at the CaixaForum. From June 1 to September 9, 2007 it was one of around 100 Dali works on display at the Tate Modern
in London as part of the "Dali And Film" exhibition.
It depicts the head of child star
Shirley Temple
, taken from a newspaper photograph, superimposed on the body of a red lioness
with obvious breasts and white claws. On top of her head is a vampire bat. Surrounding the Shirley-lioness are a human skull and other bones, presumed to be from her latest kill. At the bottom of the painting is a trompe-l'œil label that reads: "Shirley!. at last in Technicolor."
The painting is thought by some to be a satire of the sexualization
of child stars by Hollywood.
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
, pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
and collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
on cardboard, by surrealist painter Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
. It measures 75 cm x 100 cm (29.5 inches x 39.5 inches). It is housed in the Netherlands, at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is the main art museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The museum began in 1847 with the collection of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans . Much of the museum's original collection was destroyed in a disastrous 1864 fire...
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
's principal art gallery.
It was first shown at an exhibition held at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, from March 21 to April 18, 1939 (although the exhibition catalogue does not mention the painting, an article in the New York Times mentions its presence). It has also been exhibited in 1983 at the Palau Reial de Pedralbes
Palau reial de pedralbes
The Palau Reial de Pedralbes is a building placed in the middle of an ample garden in the district of Les Corts, in Barcelona. From 1919 until 1931 it was the residence for the Spanish Royal Family when they visited the city...
in Barcelona, in 1985 at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, and again in Barcelona in 2004, at the CaixaForum. From June 1 to September 9, 2007 it was one of around 100 Dali works on display at the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
in London as part of the "Dali And Film" exhibition.
It depicts the head of child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
, taken from a newspaper photograph, superimposed on the body of a red lioness
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
with obvious breasts and white claws. On top of her head is a vampire bat. Surrounding the Shirley-lioness are a human skull and other bones, presumed to be from her latest kill. At the bottom of the painting is a trompe-l'œil label that reads: "Shirley!. at last in Technicolor."
The painting is thought by some to be a satire of the sexualization
Sexualization
The definition of the term, Sexualization has been the subject of debate and dispute. It has been described as the act or process of sexualizing. It refers to the making of a person, group or thing to be seen as sexual in nature or a person to become aware of sexuality...
of child stars by Hollywood.