Teatre-Museu Dalí

Placa Gala-Salvador Dalí 5, 17600 Figueres,
Barcelona
Cataluña
Spain
97 267 75 00

http://www.Salvador-dali.org

Type: Museum
Addmission Fee: Entry 9 Euro, students 6.50 Euro.
Hours: Open July-Sept. 9 am-7:45 pm; rest of year 10:30 am-5:45 pm

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The theater that hosted the artist’s first exhibition at the age of 14 would later be purchased by him and transformed into a spectacle that only he could have imagined. It is a righteous trip into the world of Surrealism both inside and out, where loaves of bread protrude from the pink walls in imitation of Salamanca’s Casa de las Conchas, and great white eggs adorn the roofline around a sparkling geodesic dome. The line to get inside (and it is a long one as the museum is second only to Madrid’s Prado in the number of visitors it sees) leads into the central patio. It once held the theater’s stalls–destroyed by a fire during the Spanish Civil War. In their place is the infamous rainy Cadillac (insert a coin and it rains on the plastic passengers) with the sculpture of Queen Esther as its hood ornament and behind it a giant totem pole of stacked tires topped by a boat that once belonged to Dalí’s wife Gala. Over here is the Self-Portrait with Slice of Grilled Bacon, and there, The Bread Basket, Galarina, The Spectre of Sex-Appeal and a room that leads to Dalí’s crypt. Although the above are notable Dalí works, the vast majority of his greatest pieces are not on hand in the museum. They have been spirited away by other museums and private buyers, but it matters not, as each of the artist’s periods is well represented. Dalí wanted his works to be seen as a whole, and thus refused to have them catalogued or exhibited in chronological order. Before mounting the steps to the first floor, look at the painting Gala Nude Watching the Sea. In a nod to Rothko, Dalí layered the face of Honest Abe Lincoln into the image. Now to the elaborate Sala Palau del Vent (Wind Palace Room) and Sala de les Joies (Jewel Room), with 39 original jewels designed by Dalí, then on to the Sala MaeWest, a room of scattered installations that merge to form the face of the famous actress when viewed through an optical lens at the top of a staircase. Other rooms are devoted to paintings by Dalí’s friend Antoni Pitxot and to pieces from his private collection, including works by Duchamp, El Greco, Fortuny and Urgell. Take some Excedrin and set aside at least two hours to become absorbed in its fantasy.