ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.- Arguably the two most influential 20th century Spanish artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, come together in this landmark exhibition at The Dali Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Organized by The Dali and the Museu Picasso, Barcelona with the collaboration of the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali, “Picasso/Dali, Dali/Picasso” runs through February 16, 2015.

The exhibit features rarely loaned works from more than 20 international museums and collectors worldwide. There are over 90 works in the exhibit including a large assortment of paintings, as well as drawings, prints and sculpture plus archival documents such as postcards from Dali to Picasso. After its premier at The Dali, the exhibit will be on display at the Museu Picasso, Barcelona from March 19-June 28, 2015.

“This Picasso exhibition offers the possibility of rereading the relationship between two key figures of twentieth-century art and exploring new interpretations of the period in which their lives and works intersected,” explained Dali Museum Director Dr. Hank Hine. “We are honored to collaborate with Barcelona’s Museu Picasso and our enduring partners at the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali.”

“Surprisingly, this is a part of history that has not been told before,” said Museu Picasso’s Director Bernardo Laniado-Romero. “As this exhibition will show, their fertile rapport produced some outstanding and crucial artworks for modern times.”

The exhibit sheds light on the more than 30-year relationship and interactions between these two Spanish-born artists, and highlights the similarities in their artistic evolution. In the spring of 1926, Dali took his first trip to Paris and visited Picasso in his studio as he prepared for his summer exhibition at Paul Rosenberg. After returning to Spain, Dali set to work on an important group of paintings which reflected this encounter and marked a transition to artistic maturity. Throughout the following years and through the 1940’s, the artists went through various phases, including delving into their well-known periods of Surrealism and Cubism; they also both created works portraying the human aguish and conflict in response to the Spanish civil war. Their art converged in a way that was inspired by the great art of the past, in particular, their mutual admiration of the 17th century Spanish Golden Age painter Diego Velázquez. It was through this inspiration that they dealt with the history of art’s grandest aspirations and their own yearning for artistic achievement.

This is the second “blockbuster” exhibit in the new Dali Museum building following the Andy Warhol exhibit, which set the tone for record visitation. Dali Museum Marketing Director Kathy Greif commented “Visitation during the Warhol show was up more than 40% versus the same period last year, and we anticipate the Picasso/Dali show will draw an even larger crowd. Record numbers aren’t just a marketer’s dream – it’s key to our mission to serve as an active resource in the cultural life of our community; we couldn’t be more proud to provide access to these rare and influential works.”

In light of anticipated visitation, The Dali has introduced timed-tickets for the first time which are offered by the hour on weekends to better accommodate visitors and reduce potential waiting times. The Museum is also offering a day-pass ticket for weekdays. Advanced-purchase tickets provide priority admission and guaranteed entry to the Museum at the visitor’s preferred day and time.