City of Drawers by Salvador Dalí

City of Drawers

Salvador Dalí · 1936

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“Stop to consider this striking drawing where a human-like figure is made entirely of open drawers, a powerful visual metaphor for the hidden and exposed aspects of the human psyche, rendered with meticulous detail.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

In this graphite drawing, a desolate landscape stretches under a stormy sky, dominated by a towering, architectural figure. Its body is composed entirely of open drawers, a recurring motif in the artist's work from this period. The figure, a kind of anthropomorphic cabinet, stands on a flat, barren plain, its head a small, featureless sphere. The precise draftsmanship renders each drawer with meticulous detail, creating a sense of both solidity and unsettling transparency. The scene evokes a feeling of psychological exposure, as if the inner workings of a mind have been laid bare for examination. This disquieting imagery, characteristic of the Surrealist movement, invites viewers to ponder the hidden depths and fragmented nature of the subconscious.

DETAILS
Artist
Salvador Dalí
Date
1936
Medium
Graphite on buff wove paper
Location
Art Institute of Chicago
Dimensions
35.2 × 52.2 cm (13 7/8 × 20 9/16 in.)
ART MOVEMENTS
LOOK CLOSER

What to Notice

Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

City of Drawers
01

The numerous open drawers that form the figure's body

02

The small, featureless head atop the drawer-figure

03

The desolate, flat landscape stretching into the distance

04

The stormy, cloud-filled sky above the scene

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THE ARTIST

Salvador Dalí

1904–1989 · Spain

Dalí painted melting clocks and dream logic with the precision of an Old Master — then became the most famous eccentric alive.

Read Dalí’s full story
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