Surrealism at Bargain Prices

After a recent trip to Spain, and the Salvador Dali Museum, I am very aware that “The Dali’s” work has appreciated enormously  in value over the years. I am sure that one of his original paintings featuring his signature melting clock would be worth far, far more than I could possibly afford.

My wife and I arrived at the local Ross (Dress for Less), looking for clocks, decorations for the upcoming H.G. Wells “Time Machine” meeting of our book club. We were following up on a tip from a friend that this clothing emporium has clocks for sale. Trying my best to make myself intelligible to the young clerk we first encountered at the check-out counter, I said, “Do you have any, like, clocks?”

The clerk caught on to my perfectly inflected dialect right away. With no hesitation, she  pointed her thumb at the rear of the store. “They’re on the back wall”, she said. Sure enough, after the long walk to the back of the store,  we found some “like, clocks”. Unbelievably, one  was a reproduction of the Dali melting clock featured in many of the Dali’s Surrealist paintings I’d just seen in Spain. It was available for  the surreal Great Recession price of less than $20. This like totally blew my mind, man!  A Dali melting clock that actually keeps time for under twenty bucks! The clock melted off the wall and into my aging, melting cell structure. Treasuring this great “Time Machine” oriented decorative find, we started for the front of the store, my wife and I incredulous at finding Art for Less at “Dress for Less”.

Now, you may not know that there is a Hindu Deity department at the Dress for Less  store. I for one, certainly had no clue that a place like this has a Hindu Deity department. We sort of wandered into it, a corporate version of a “head shop” on two well hidden shelves. There I discovered a statue of Ganesha for less than $15.  Dali and Ganesha in one place, and  “Ganesh for Lesh” to boot!

“ Hello, Miss. Do you have any like, Hindu Deities, and, like,  Dali Surrealist melting clocks for less than twenty bucks?”

 “Like who doesn’t, sir? They’re on the back wall.”