Museo Dalí

When struggling with the ability to describe a mind-bending experience or related emotions, borrowing the words of others can sometimes capture the essence perfectly. In this case, Dalí’s own words are pitch-perfect.

Located in Figueres, Spain, approximately 2.5 hours north of Barcelona, the Dalí Museum was formerly the town’s theater, a place familiar to Dalí since childhood. One of Dalí’s first exhibitions was displayed in this theater, which was subsequently ravaged during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. It remained in a state of ruin until 1969, when the site was approved as a museum dedicated to the town’s most famous son. The museum opened on September 28, 1974, and was expanded throughout the 1980s. Dalí was extensively involved with the project, from construction through art curation, and his fingerprints are unmistakable as the museum displays the surrealistic flair his work is renowned for. In addition to original paintings from all decades of his career, the museum exhibits sculptures, three-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other works from Dalí’s unique imagination. Small collections from other artists, ranging from El Greco and Bouguereau to Marcel Duchamp, John de Andrea, and Dalí’s friend Antoni Pitxot, are also on display.

I should make it plain that I am not a historian, art critic, gallerist, curator, professor, or anything beyond an unrepentant fanboy of Salvador Dalí’s work. During a recent trip to Spain for our 10th anniversary with my wife and dear friends, we shaved our time in Barcelona and Madrid to make a side trip to Girona and visit the Dalí Museum in Figueres. This was a bit of a “big ask” on my part, as this two-day pilgrimage to the Dalí Museum wasn’t part of the original plan and was geographically out of the way, considering we were bound for Madrid, well to the south of Barcelona, with Figueres located well to the north of Barcelona. Obviously, I’m blessed to have great friends and an exceptional wife.

Dalí is generally best known for works such as The Persistence of Memory (1931), commonly known as “The Melting Clocks,” the Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (1936), which he painted six months before the Spanish Civil War, Le Sommeil aka Sleep (1937), and Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee (1944), widely believed to be an ode to his wife Gala, a regular presence in his work, among countless other masterpieces. Beyond painting, Dalí was also prolific in drawing, photography, sculpture, writing, film, and jewelry making.

Dalí’s work was influenced by the movements of the era, such as Surrealism, Futurism, Cubism, and Dadaism, though he cited classical artists Raphael, Vermeer, and Diego Velázquez as core sources of inspiration.

Not surprisingly, the exterior of the museum and surrounding grounds are chock-full of interesting oddities that keep guests joyfully occupied and bemused while awaiting entry. The exterior serves as a tantalizing sneak peek of the treasures featured inside.

Upon entry and giddy with anticipation, I made my way to the third floor of the museum and worked my way down. Each floor, room, hallway, and exhibit is worthy of lengthy examination, and though every surface is home to one form of art or another, it never feels cluttered or overwrought. On the second floor, The Poetry of America, The Cosmic Athletes (1943) is the only piece featured in a small, dark room adjoining the main walkway. The first floor is replete with numerous pieces from the late 1920s and 1930s, along with informational placards about Dalí, his work, inspirations, and details about the museum’s location. I regard the 1930s as the period in which Dalí created his best work, doubtless the serendipitous intersection of his age—Dalí was in his energetic mid-twenties through mid-thirties—coupled with the tumultuous times in Spain and abroad. Sadly, my personal favorite, The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937), was not on location as this piece is currently on display at the Tate Museum in London.

Wandering through the ‘Alice in Wonderland’-esque labyrinthine wonder that is the Dalí Museum, I was on an exciting, yet impossible-to-fully-comprehend allegorical journey, constantly pondering, “What does this represent?” or “What is he saying here?” or even coming to the realization, “I may never know what this means, but it doesn’t matter—it’s extraordinary.”

These questions stimulate the mind, while your eyes are treated to a mind-blowing palette of rich color, eerie beauty, oblique eroticism, exquisite detail, glimpses of haunting uncertainty, and touches of beguiling horror that ultimately, somehow, leave you feeling uplifted, as if floating through a vivid and thought-provoking fantasy. As someone who struggles to retain my dreams the moment I wake, Dalí’s art allows me to vicariously experience ‘dreams on demand.’

As is the case with any area of interest, Dalí’s work would necessitate a lifetime (or two) of dedication and examination. However, a visit to this priceless museum was the pinnacle for me and is a must-see for anyone visiting Spain with even a passing interest in art.

Written by: Christopher Clifford