Salvador Dali: Madman or Genius? A Look at the Enigmatic Dali Museum
4/18/2011 10:04:00 PM
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| The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL |
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| Dali & his famous mustache |
The last time I visited St. Petersburg, the new Salvador Dali Museum had been under construction. I remember visiting the older building when I was young, and was excited to revisit the works of the late surrealist painter with a fresh perspective. The new museum building earned high praise, as it was mentioned on AOL’s Buildings You Have to See Before You Die, and an even higher acclaim as it was the only building on the list that was located in the United States.
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| The Enigma |
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| The Grand Entrance |
The entire experience becomes a surreal one as you enter through the doors that house the Reynolds and Eleanor Morse collection. The museum’s interior is divided into several sections, each to accommodate a different purpose. The main lobby consists of the gift shop, ticketing counter and a café, affectionately named Café Gala after Dali’s wife. Upon paying, you’ll want to make sure to pick up the audio guide headphones, as it makes the navigation through the displays informative and very enjoyable. A docent tour is also available every hour.
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| The Spiral Staircase |
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| View of St. Pete from the Enigma |
There are two galleries which sit across from each other on the third floor. The Tom and Mary James Wing for the Morse Collection displays 96 of Salvador Dali’s original oil paintings. Here, you will be guided through Dali’s history. You will learn about the Spanish surrealist painter’s life, from his adolescence to his later years, as told through the various stages of his paintings. You will discover harrowing tales about the relationships with his family (such as in Portrait of my Sister, first image below), as well as enchanting tales about his wife and his love of the unorthodox. This gallery features such fantastical and exquisite paintings as Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters becomes a Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (second image below) and The Hallucinogenic Matador (third image below)
The second gallery, The Hough Family Wing displays dozens of Dali’s sketches, photographs of Dali, and displays of his surrealist objects such as the Lobster Telephone. This gallery features two large screens that play interviews with Dali as well as a unique holographic exhibit of 1970’s shock rocker, Alice Cooper. One of the most enjoyable sections of this gallery is the student exhibit, which is a collection of Dali inspired art work contributed by local students. The talent showcased in this section is both amazing and inspiring.
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| Outside the museum |
When making your way back down from the galleries (an optional elevator is available), you may want to stop by a quick snack at Café Gala, which features a menu of light fare with a Spanish theme. Tapas and small plates of appetizers are a specialty, along with traditional pastries, soups (gazpacho and caldo gallego), salads and sandwiches. (The Dali Museum)
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| The Dali Store |
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| The Golden Rectangle |
Before heading out, you may want to visit The Avant-Garden, where you can marvel at the building’s architecture from the outside.An explanation of the buildings structure through the use of the Golden Rectangle can be found on the tiles of the garden. The garden provides a prominent view of the one thousand unique panes of glass that compose the Enigma. As you will learn on your tour, the panes of glass were dictated by the physics of the building, so that no two panes are the same. When the building was constructed, barcodes had to be placed on each pane to identify their position. At the garden you will also find a Dali inspired melting clock bench and a labyrinth.
Finally, you may definitely want to stop in at the Dali Museum store. Here you will find an assortment of Dali items that include everything from prints of Dali’s artwork to postcards, perfumes, jewelry, and a Dali mustache of your very own for the road.
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| Melting Clock Bench |
All in all, the Salvador Dali experience is one that will leave a lasting impression and one that will undoubtedly have you question your own sanity for days to come. In the end, one question will be left lingering in your mind, “Salvador Dali: madman or genius?”
Don't Miss List!
Admission: On Thursdays you can purchase the after 5:00p.m. ticket, which is only $10 per person (normally $21), this is the only day that the museum opens until 8 p.m. The first and third Thursday of every month, the museum also offers a showing of a short film about the museum and the Dali & Beyond Film Series at 6:00 p.m.
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| In the end, everything will look a little more...surreal! |
Attractions: I highly recommend using the audio guided tour, so you can discover the museum at your own pace. The audio guide provides a lot of interesting and fun details about each piece. However, the number of audio guides are limited, so don’t forget to ask for yours.
Shopping: The Dali Museum Store, is the place to go for all your Dali needs.
Where to Eat : Café Gala offers a variety of Spanish inspired dishes to suit your taste buds.
Events: The Dali Museum sponsors several events, have a look at their Calendar of Events for more information.
