As an eccentric and avant-garde artist, Salvador Dali’s unconventional beliefs were not uncommon. However, his conviction that he was possessed by demons took his hallucinatory imagination to a whole new level. In 1947, Dali wrote a letter to his friend, Edward James, begging him to perform an exorcism ritual. The letter, now a part of the Dali Archive held by the London Metropolitan Archives, sheds light on the artist’s distressed mental state during this time.
In the letter, Dali described experiencing an “unnatural and terrible distress” and “abominable and revolting” visions that caused him to “suffer horribe torments day and night.” He recounted that his “thoughts take the form of unheard of and highly improper images” and were accompanied by a “piercing scream that resounds enormously within me.” Dali believed that he was possessed by an “anonymous, evil, ignoble, unhealthy and improper demon” that could only be expelled through a ritual exorcism.
Edward James, a British patron of the arts and surrealist enthusiast, was nonplussed. He initially responded with a witty letter, understandably, but eventually agreed to perform the ritual. James hoped to cure Dali’s affliction rather than be ridiculed by the public. In a 1962 article, he described the experience, saying, “Dali was possessed, for some reason, by an evil spirit which spoke through his voice…The words that he uttered in my study that day were incoherent.” James proceeded to perform various prayers for Dali’s deliverance, reading them aloud in Catalan, Latin, Hebrew, and Nahuatl.
The exorcism seemed to calm Dali, as he wrote to James, “hearts cannot overestimate the blissful light including a hopeful and infinite joy delivered to me with a supreme miracle as an accomplishment of your heroic action,” after the ritual. However, some scholars and biographers have disputed the authenticity of Dali’s exorcism, arguing that it might have been a publicity stunt.
Dali’s friend, and future wife, Gala, had long instigated intense ritualistic experiences in Dali. In her memoirs, she also hinted at her influence on the exorcism affair, saying, “He surrenders himself to experiences that are beyond his control, and from whose seeds, moments of liberation that are glimpsed in a dreamlike state will arise.” Thus some psychologists believe that Dali’s possession may have been a role-playing game, a part of his lifelong fascination with hypnosis and psychoanalysis.
The Dali Archive has preserved this letter, among other intriguing documents and objects, adding to the enigmatic mythology surrounding Dali’s creative genius. It showcases the stark insight into the artist’s psyche and persona, making him, undeniably, one of history’s most bizarre geniuses. The exorcism ritual adds a tenebrous layer to the artist’s already vividly dream-like and surreal art, which often left viewers perplexed and enchanted.
In conclusion, Salvador Dali’s conviction that he was possessed by demons might have been an exaggerated hallucination or a dramatization for publicity. However, it reveals a relatively lesser-known aspect of the artist’s complex psychology, which amplifies our fascination with one of history’s most enigmatic geniuses. The exorcism ritual becomes a part of the speculative mythology that envelops the artist’s boundary-breaking art, honoring Dali’s legacy as an eccentric, surrealist visionary.
