"With the drawers, it is now possible to look at the soul of the Venus de Milo through her body."
—Salvador DalíSalvador Dalí’s Vénus de Milo aux tiroirs (Venus de Milo with Drawers) is regarded as one of the most important sculptures by the famed Surrealist. Originally cast in plaster in 1934 and later in editioned bronze versions in different sizes in 1964, this work stands over seven feet tall, almost the exact same size as the 2nd Century BCE Venus de Milo sculpture of Aphrodite it references, housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Dalí’s take on the original marble antiquity showcases his manipulation of classical references to create his own obscure, dream-like artworks. Here, fantasy is erected by way of drawers emanating from the figure’s chest, abdomen, and legs. The Venus de Milo is the first woman he modeled as a child, in clay, copying a reproduction that adorned his family’s dining room. He recalled: "I also did, at this period, a copy of the Venus de Milo in clay; it was the source of my first attempt at sculpture and an unforgettable and delicious erotic pleasure."i
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic work around dreams greatly influenced Dalí and the Surrealists in their efforts to permeate the subconscious. In the present work we experience the Roman goddess of sexuality, love, and desire, becoming an inanimate cabinet. As the artist proclaimed, "you see, in Greek civilization there is no introspection, no Freud, no Christianity."ii With the addition of drawers, Dalí attempts to peek inside some of the most secretive and private of human sensibilities.
