The Divine Comedy Illustrated by Salvador Dalí: Exhibition

Published on 28 March 2025

The Museum of Jade and Pre-Columbian Culture of the National Insurance Institute (INS), in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in Costa Rica and the Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER), presents a unique exhibition: The Divine Comedy Illustrated by Salvador Dalí.

For the first time in Costa Rica, 100 prints by the surrealist master Salvador Dalí are on display, using engraving and lithography techniques that reflect his unmistakable style. This temporary exhibition is on the second floor of the museum and is part of FUNIBER’s Cultural Work.

The Divine Comedy: a Masterpiece Reborn in Surrealism

Dalí’s illustrations for The Divine Comedy are a tribute to the famous literary work of Dante Alighieri. In his reinterpretation, Dalí combines medieval prose with his distinctive surrealist approach, achieving a unique and fascinating vision of this universal classic.

The exhibition is organized in three sections, corresponding to the stages that Dante goes through on his spiritual journey:

Inferno: The descent into Hell, a place where the damned suffer punishment for their sins.
Purgatory: The ascent to the Mount of Purgatory, where souls must atone for and repent of their sins in order to attain divine grace.
Paradise: The ascent to Heaven, culminating in the presence of God and eternal glory.

The Divine Comedy Illustrated by Salvador Dalí

An International Journey

This impressive graphic collection has traveled through 11 countries before reaching Costa Rica, offering its visitors the chance to explore Dalí’s genius applied to one of the most important works of universal literature.