Samsung Electronics has struck a deal that will see masterpieces from the legendary artist Salvador Dali appear on its iconic “The Frame” TV for the next 12 months.
The deal with Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí is just the latest in a series of agreements that has seen Samsung expand its catalogue of digital artworks, which is meant for the popular The Frame TV that doubles as a digital art display when not in use.
Samsung’s The Frame is a 4K LCD TV featuring a matte coating in its most recent 2022 and 2023 editions. It's designed to be hung on a wall, and its appearance makes it look much like a standard picture frame. Users can subscribe to Samsung’s art gallery and choose from a selection of renowned artworks to display on it.
Before this week’s announcement, Samsung introduced the U.K.’s “Royal Dog Art” collection to its gallery, adding to selections of famous works from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Botticelli and also from Etsy, the arts and craft retailer.
The latest announcement means The Frame owners will now be able to choose from a number of Salvador Dali’s unique surrealist paintings.
Samsung said the partnership will give Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí a new, global stage on which it can share Dali’s “dynamic masterpieces and legacy” with a digital native generation of The Frame TV owners. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí is the organization that manages and disseminates the legacy of Salvador Dali and his works of art.
“These pieces, selected especially in partnership with Samsung Art Store, allow us to show off Dalí’s most striking masterpieces and the stunning display The Frame is capable of,” said Andrea Fisher-Scherer, managing director of Merchandise Licensing at the Artists Rights Society, which helped negotiate the deal between Samsung and Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí.
The available works include “The Persistence of Memory” (1931), “The Temptation of St. Anthony” (1946) and “Swans Reflecting Elephants” (1937). All told, 12 of Dali’s most famous works are featured in Samsung’s gallery.
Samsung The Frame TV owners can now access Dali’s pieces from the Samsung Art Store globally. An annual subscription to the store costs $50 a year.
Samsung’s The Frame TV is rivalled to an extent by LG’s G series OLED TVs, which can also function as a digital art gallery when mounted onto a wall, but Samsung is unique in curating a collection of works from the world’s most famous artists.
