HYLAND
A the
entranceway to the Blain Di Donna
art gallery, perched discreetly above
street level on Madison Avenue
between 76th and 77th streets,
Dali's 1936 bronze Venus de Milo aux
Tiroirs stands alluringly center stage
amid a treasure trove of Dada and
Surrealist objects. Whimsically, and a
bit naughty, it transforms the classic
sculpture of an idolized woman into
breasts and drawers adorned with
coquettish pom poms. An amusing
divertissement, it is a $2 million prize
for the sophisticated collector.
"This Dali piece breaks all the boundaries," says Emmanuel
Di Donna, a charming Parisian who came to New York a few
years ago to fulfill his dream of owning a gallery. "Twentieth
Century art is fascinating, and I'm just thrilled I have this
special location."
Dali's work dominates a museum- worthy array of Calder, Arp,
Man Ray and Duchamp (particularly enticing, an encased,
Blain Di Donna
