Trifter

    Outside the museum.                                                    Breads on the walls, a Dali’s obsession with bread.

Figueres is a small town and the birthplace of Salvador Dali (May 11, 1904). It is located 100km north of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain near the French borders.

             ”Carro Naval”

            A Cadillac, a tires column, Gala’s boat, and some sculptures.

The municipal theater of Figueres was created by the architect Roca I Bros and built between 1849-1850. Unfortunately, during the Spanish Civil War in 1939 the building destroyed by fire. On its remains Dali created a museum. This building it was next to the church where he was baptized, and there his works where exhibited for the first time. The reconstruction began in 1970 and the museum opened to the public for first time in 1974. Since then and until the mid 80s continuing expansions took place.

There the visitor can enjoy an interactive experience and not just a plain exhibition of up to 1.500 pieces of works. Paintings, sculptures, 3D collages, mechanical devices the well known living room that looks like the face of Mae West when viewed from a certain spot and other works straight from Dali’s unique imagination. Also there can be found some works from Salvador Dali’s own collection of other artists. Just around the corner next to the museum is an exhibition of 27 jewels designed by Salvador Dali and also some paintings and designs.

    The roof’s dome

Salvador Dali took his first drawing lessons at the age of ten. The well known Spanish impressionist painter Ramon Pichot was his first teacher. After his adolescence, Dali went to study fine art in Madrid at the Royal Academy, but he never took the final examinations because by his opinion he was more qualified than his teachers.

                                                     His muse Gala  

In 1924 he joined the surrealist movement and by 1929 Dali found his personal style into the world of the unconscious. In 1928 Dali went to Paris where he met Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. His mentor and the father of surrealism Andre Breton, some years later accused Dali for excessive self-presentation, money greediness ["Avida Dollars" (greedy for dollars) is the nickname Breton gave to Dali] and as a supporter of fascism.

   Moving mechanical device                                                    Melting

In Paris, Dali involved in the Bunuel’s film “Un Chien Andalou” (An Andalusian Dog). During that period Salvador Dali invited Paul Éluard, René Magritte and their wives to spend some weeks in Port Ligat, Cadaques, his summer residence, a place close enough to his birthplace Figueres (now his house there is also a museum).

Dali’s house in Port Ligat

Gala, (Elena Ivanovna Diakonova) a Russian immigrant ten years older than Dali was Eluard’s wife but soon she became Dali’s companion, mistress, inspiration, model and muse. Gala divorced legally in 1932 and married Dali in 1934 in a civil ceremony in Paris and years later, in 1958 they had a church ceremony in Girona, Catalonia.

     Near “Carro Naval”

In 1933 Salvador Dali exhibited for first time in the US. He moved there permanently in 1940 probably to avoid WW II in Europe. Soon he became popular among the American high society and media. In 1948 Dali and Gala came back to Catalonia and used to share their time between Port Ligat, Paris, and New York. That period Dali was interested also about science, religion and history. These fields and in addition great classical painters like Raphael or Velasquez became an inspiration source for his art.

   Sculptures

        Mae West room                                                         Entrance of room 12

In 1968 Dalí buys Gala the Castle of Pubol where Gala lived with her lovers and Dali had to be invited to meet her. In 1970 Dali started the project of transforming the Municipal Theater of Figueres into a museum, which opened official four years later. Gala died in 1982 and buried into her castle. The Castle of Pubol is open to the public since 1996 as a museum.

      Jevels                                                                         Cubism

In 1980 Dali forced to retire due to a health disorder that caused a permanent trembling of his hands. This and Gala’s death drove him into deep depression. Dali moved to Pubol after Gala’s death where in 1984 a fire broke out as he was lying in bed. He suffered sever burns. Two years later he had a pacemaker implant and on January 23, 1989 Dali died from heart failure.

  Dali & Gala                                                                      Alexander the Great

                 “Palau del Vent” or “Wind Palace” covers the roof of a room. Salvador Dali (left), Gala (right)

Dali lived for sure a controversial and eccentric life, as a contrast to that fact his remains buried in a very simple crypt in the museum’s basement.

     Visitors walking on Dali’s tomb                            Dali’s crypt

All images by the author

See also:

• Bagheria: “Villa of the Monsters”
• Palermo: The Capuchin Catacombs, The Museum of the Dead