Cutter & Cutter to open new Salvador Dali exhibition at gallery in Ponte Vedra Beach

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Cutter & Cutter is opening a new exhibition at its gallery in Ponte Vedra Beach’s Sawgrass Village this weekend that features around 90 unique pieces by Salvador Dali hailing from the collection of his former agent and publisher, Pierre Argillet.

The exhibition includes original drawings, over 80 original copper plate etchings, rare, handwoven tapestries that were created in France, an original sculpture by Dali and a book collection of 50 etchings. 

“It’s a huge collection of work,” Mark Cutter said. “I don’t know the last time this kind of collection was assembled.”

Cutter & Cutter, Mark explained, has direct access to the work through Pierre Argillet’s son, Jean Christophe Argillet, providing the local gallery with direct lineage back to Dali. Mark noted that although Dali is known as a surrealist, this body of work is much “tamer,” which he said will allow art enthusiasts an opportunity to see a different and more elegant style of the artist. 

The pieces range in price from small etchings for $3,200 to up to half a million dollars for some of the original pieces. Until recently, Mark said many of the pieces were not available to the market because they’ve been in archives with the Argillet family. 

“It truly is museum quality work,” Mark said. “The difference between us and a museum is it’s available to acquire and maybe pass down to a museum in the future.”

Matt Cutter said they just finished hanging the pieces in the Ponte Vedra gallery last week and that he is especially impressed by the tapestries. 

“I didn’t think it was going to be as highly finished as it was,” he said. “When you see all the hand-woven nature of the fabric, that’s pretty impressive.”

Mark noted that the sculpture in the exhibition is also impressive because it’s believed by scholars to be one of the only ones that Dali hand-sculpted himself, explaining that many other sculptures were done by ghost sculptors under Dali’s direction. 

The exhibition will open on Friday, Nov. 16 with a closed, invite-only VIP event. A second opening night will be held for the public on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 4 to 9 p.m. Cutter & Cutter is asking those interested in attending to RSVP, if possible. Following this weekend, the Dali collection will be on display at the Ponte Vedra gallery through November and December.  

“You don’t have to go to the big city markets to find this kind of artwork,” Mark said. “You can go right in your backyard.”