Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres
Where: Corner of Carrer Mª Àngels Vayreda with Pujada del Castell, E-17600 Figueres (approximately 95 minutes away from Barcelona)
Opening times: Check Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation's website.
It is very likely you are already acquainted with the extravagant figure and art of Catalan artist Salvador Dalí. If you take language courses in Barcelona you will hear a lot more about him. Not only that, you'll also have the chance to visit his museums and fall in love with his masterpieces, if you haven't already.
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí i Doménech was born in Figueras, Catalonia. He is known as Spain's and perhaps the world's most eccentric artists. Dalí was one of the top surrealist exponents, whose wild paintings can be recognised on the spot. He was also noted for his outlandish hallmark moustache.
His childhood itself was bizarre. Just before he was born Salvador's brother died and his parents believed the new baby was his sibling's reincarnation. Even the artist himself would come to believe this. Dalí suffered a tragic loss at 16, when his mother died. These two facts may have contributed to his known narcissistic and megalomaniac personality. When he was 18 he moved to Madrid to study in the Academy of San Fernando.
In 1928, along with other fellow artists, Dalí published his Yellow Manifesto; an avant-garde proclamation and denouncement of the 'smothering' status quo of cultural life at the time. The signatories (including Picasso, Miró, Jean Cocteau, García Lorca, Stravinsky and others) proclaimed themselves the greatest artists of their time.
Salvador Dalí is known for his oneiric and surrealist images. His abilities are generally attributed to the artist's admiration for Renaissance. However he was also prolific in film, sculpture and photography, which in many cases led to close collaborations with audiovisual artists.
Perhaps his greatest talent was that of forging an extremely personal and recognizable style, which in truth was nothing but eclectic. In some ways he that vampirized innovations done by others, which is not to say he was not an incredibly talented and creative genius. This immensely controversial artist died in Figueres in 1989
Salvador Dalí's best known masterpieces are The Persistence of Memory, where his typical melted watches are present, The Great Masturbator and Girl at the Window. However, there are many other typical elements repeated Dalí's work, such as the long and thin, insect-like legged elephants, the jumping tigers and his muse, Galatea.
Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres
Even though the museum is not in Barcelona itself, like any good Barcelona travel guide, we could not stop recommending a visit to the most bizarre and fascinating museum in Catalonia,.
The Dalí Theatre Museum, the self proclaimed largest surrealist object in the world, occupies the building of the old Municipal Theatre in Figueres, a construction of the 19th century that was destroyed at the end of the Spanish civil war. On these ruins Dalí decided to erect his museum. The Dalí Theatre Museum is a unique experience that allows us, even for a little while, to live and enjoy the mind of a genius through his work and thoughts.
In 1961, the towns mayor, Ramón Guardiola, proposed to Dalí the idea of a museum dedicated to his work, and it was the artist himself who chose the old ruined municipal theatre as location to his gallery. Curiously, the lobby of the theatre was the place where Dalí first exhibited one of his paintings. Therefore, the place was meaningful to him, not just beautiful and charming in its disastrous state.
Dalí liked the idea of his museum so much that he worked at it during an entire decade, designing every last little detail until the museum became a reality. The Dalí Theatre Museum first opened its doors in 1974.
The most visual element of the Dalí Theatre Museum is the transparent geodesic grid-like dome which tops the building (Dalí's own idea), which has become a symbol of Figueres itself, as well as of the museum. If you would like to learn Spanish in Barcelona, don't miss the chance to visit the museum, Figueres is only 139 km away from the Catalan capital!
The Collection
It contains the most ample range of works that describe the artistic career of Salvador Dalí, from his first artistic experiences and his surrealist creations to the work produced during the last years of his life.
Some of the most notable works exhibited in the museum: Port Alguer (1925), Girl in Figueres (1926), The Specter of Sex Appeal (1932), Basket of Bread (1945), Atomic Leda (1949), Galatea of the Spheres (1952), Dawn, Noon, Afternoon and Evening (1979) among many others.
But there is much more. The theatre museum has to be seen as a whole, and not by parts, since Dalí conceived and designed it with the aim of giving the visitor a taste and experience of his unique and enchanting world. Dalí created a set of works specifically for the Dalí Theatre Museum, for instance the Mae West Room and the Rainy Cadillac. There are also some works by other artists Dalí wanted to include: El Greco, Marcel Duchamp, Modest Urgell, etc.
Right now the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation owns some 4,000 pieces, of which 1,500 are exhibited in the Dalí Theatre Museum, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, engravings, installations, holograms, photographs, etc.
The Dalí Theatre Museum also holds temporary exhibitions. We recommend to check the theatre's website to find out in advanced what exhibitions you may find at the time to your Spain trip.