Bluebird Flies

Today we visited the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain. Apart from his famous melting clocks, I really did not know much about Salvador Dali or his art until we did some research prior to visiting. To prepare, Macy and I watched this video to get familiar with some of Dali’s artwork and understand Surrealism. Although the video is for kids and is a little cheesy, we both learned a lot! It really helped prepare us to know what to look for at the museum.

Dali’s famous “soft clocks” – called The Persistence of Memory

Figueres is a small city just south of France, and not far from the coast. The museum is built upon the ruins of the city’s old municipal theater (destroyed at the end of the Spanish Civil War), and Dali wanted to use this location because 1. He is such a theatrical artist, 2. the theater is where he held his first gallery, and 3. it is right next door to his family church. The church is beautiful, and worth visiting if you come to the museum.

Dali designed the entire museum himself! Eggs were a theme in his artwork. You really can’t miss the museum when walking down the street!

The entire museum is whimsical, reflecting Dali’s personality. Here is a clown-face doorway made of various found materials. You can see Macy and Bobby inside

Dali grew up in Figueres, was born and died here, and even created this museum himself! It opened in 1974. Dali created this space so that the public could see his artwork the way he wanted it to be seen. He is even buried in a crypt in the basement.

We enjoyed seeing some of the beautiful landscape of Costa Brava make its way into his paintings.

Woman in Figueres.

Apparently, the rugged coastline of Costa Brava was an inspiration for much of his artwork, as he saw people and creatures in the rocks here. We do, too! Go here for a better view of La Geological Echo la Pieta shown below.

Dali saw these images in the rocks on the shores of Costa Brava. This is one of his later works, and depicts The Pieta

One thing I didn’t realize was that Dali was introduced to cubism (a type of surrealism) by Picasso in his early years as an artist, and several pieces of his early art are in cubist style. However, Dali became so eccentric that he later parted with the surrealist movement.

Several of his early works were in cubist style and inspired by Picasso

I’m convinced that Dali is the originator of the concept behind those magic eye pictures that plastered American malls in the 1990’s. He played with holograms, 3-D images, stereoscopy, optical illusions and double-images. He was the creator of the first 3-D hologram. I can’t post most of those here, since they don’t photograph well but you can google it!

I could spend hours staring at many of his paintings, finding new things I didn’t originally see. In my opinion, only a genius could create art like this.

How many different people can you see in this one? It is called Apotheosis of the Dollar

Do you see a woman, a man’s face, or both?

Dali calls this his “paranoia-critical method,” which is the use of double-images like in his Swans Reflecting Elephants painting or his Slave Market with the Disappearing Bust of Voltaire.  Spend some time looking at these and see what you can see!

This painting shows Dali’s wife Gala looking out a window. It is best viewed close-up (click on the picture to make it larger). I notice Dali included some the decorative tiles so often found in homes here in Costa Brava.

Close up, we see Dali’s wife Gala, looking out a window.

When you get further away from the painting, who do you see?

Far away, we see the face of Abraham Lincoln!

For some interesting background information on this painting, read more here.

Dali was obsessed with painting his wife Gala. She was, without a doubt, the most influential person in his life.

This room was Macy’s favorite. It is an entire room of furniture and wall art that Dali constructed to look like Mae West’s face. We had to stand up on this camel (why a camel? who knows!) and look through a hanging lens to view the room properly.

Face of Mae West, created with furniture – taking up an entire room

We had to climb up the stairs and look through the lens hanging beneath the camel to view the Mae West room properly

I enjoyed seeing lesser-known sketches of Dali’s throughout the museum. Several of them seemed like whimsical, imaginative characters I might see in Alice in Wonderland. We see double images in this one, as in many of his works.

Dali held strong emotions about war, having experienced the effects of the Spanish Civil War in his homeland, and then World War II. Dali painted several well-known pieces depicting the effects and horrors of war, but I appreciated experiencing several lesser-known pieces like this one.

One of Dali’s many paintings depicting war

One room contains a full-ceiling painting. It is hard to describe this, as you really need to experience it life-size.

The ceiling of a huge room in the museum

This looks like Dali and Gala watching the sky open up… also a part of the ceiling

I just love the names of his paintings…

Macy and I also enjoyed looking at pictures of Dali’s different mustache configurations! The man was bigger than life. My dad told me a story once: he was in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, and in walks Salvador Dali with his pet ocelot on a diamond-studded leash. Who else would be allowed to have an ocelot in the Plaza Hotel?

Dali’s mustache is almost as iconic as his art! Macy and I enjoyed googling “Dali mustache” and seeing all the funny ways he wore his mustache. Try it!

Not only have I learned a great deal about this artist through his museum (and subsequent research inspired by his works in the museum), but Dali has really made his way into my heart. I don’t see the egotistical money-hungry artist that so many other people claim him to be. I see a human that lived fully and that pushed the limits of the physical, intellectual, cultural, and emotional boundaries of himself and society at the time. As I write this, I keep asking more and more questions about Dali and his work, and I’m inspired to keep researching!

Long-legged elephants and “soft” clocks were themes of Dali’s.

Do you see the face?

As I was unable to capture some of the most beautiful of his artwork here, I hope that you are inspired to seek out some yourself and learn a little more. The museum was really fun for both adults and my 7-year-old, and I’d go back again to learn more!

Little did we know that another really incredible Dali museum exists in our home state in St. Petersburg, Florida. We will have to visit when we return home!

If you make it to Figueres, be sure to visit the Toy Museum of Calatonia and enjoy some gelato afterward! And if you don’t have the opportunity to come all the way to Figueres, pay a virtual visit to the museum here!