There aren’t many artists that capture my attention like Salvador Dali. Ever since I first discovered his work in my mid-teenage years, I’ve had a fascination with the way his mind must work to be able to create the landscapes and compositions that he created. So, it goes without saying that since we had the chance to visit his museum while we were travelling in Catalunya, we made sure to see it.
The museum is housed within an old theatre in his hometown of Figueres. And, it is unquestionably the premier attraction of this town. A short walk through town to find dinner didn’t do anything to change my opinion. That’s not to say there was anything wrong with the town, just to say that there wasn’t much of a reason for us to visit if not for Dali’s museum. Well, the large cathedral by the theatre was really nice inside, but I wouldn’t travel there just to see it.
Accommodation options in the area are a little limited, with prices inflated just for the museum. However, we ended up finding a reasonable hotel/suite only a short walk from the museum for around €40/night.
The museum was amazing even before setting foot inside, thanks to the amazing exterior. There were hundreds of identical golden sculptures in alignment along the red brick walls, which were topped with golden mannequins and giant eggs, and other surreal sculptures. As was expected, it made no sense (to me), but there was plenty of visual appeal there for me to enjoy.
Even though we’d arrived early, there were lots of other tourists, and at first it was quite difficult to move around and view the different exhibits, but the sheer size of the theatre allowed people to eventually spread out.
I’ll never be able to fully express the experience. The first thing that struck me was the unbelievable volume of work he had created. The entire theatre, which was converted into the museum, is a work of his art. There was hardly a bare patch of wall to be found, with paintings and sculptures in so many different mediums.
There were quite a few pieces that played with optics, including images that distorted around mirrored surfaces, and sculptures that really became apparent when viewed through a distorting lens.
I always knew about his surrealist work, but I never fully grasped just how skilled a painter he was when painting portraits and subjects that mirrored reality (well, at least reality as I know it – I can’t speak for what form of reality Dali experienced).
What was also apparent was his love and devotion to his wife, with countless portraits and sculptures featuring her, and often in larger than life form. His bedroom was also there, which was just as bizarre as you would expect from Dali – I especially loved the gold-plated gorilla skeleton!
As well as the galleries, the ticket also included entrance to his collection of jewellery, most of which seemed to be based around his iconic images. I personally wasn’t much of a fan of the actual jewellery, but I loved the conceptual drawings.
If you were going hoping to see his most famous pieces, you might be a little disappointed, as they seem to live in other galleries around the world, but if you wanted to take a tiny step into the man’s mind, this museum is not to be missed.
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