Things to do in Figueres – Visit the Dalí Theatre-Museum

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One of the two main reasons tourists come to Figueres is to visit the spectacularly surreal Dalí Theatre-Museum (the other is to make the connection to Cadaqués). 

Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Designed by Figueres-born artist Salvador Dalí to showcase his extravagant works, this bizarre and extremely unique museum – decorated with rows of bread-like medallions, golden statues, and giant eggs – is beyond anything we’ve ever experienced in an art museum.  

Inaugurated in 1974, the Theatre-Museum was Dalí’s gift to his hometown.  It’s built into the remnants of the medieval city wall, and stands on the site of the former Municipal Theater – destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, Dali created a new ‘theater’ to serve as his museum and topped it with a geodesic dome.  Eye-catching features of the building (besides the dome) include the Classical façade (which faces Plaça Gala i Salvador Dalí, where you’ll see Dali’s Monument to Francesc Pujols and the Church of Saint Peter) and Torre Galatea (named for Dali’s wife, Gala, this tower from the old fortification is where Dali spent the last few years of his life.)

Inside the Theatre-Museum, you’ll see:

Car Naval Rainy Taxi Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

A courtyard (the former auditorium) where golden statues look down at the visitors below, and Gala’s boat hangs suspended above Dalí’s Cadillac, an installation titled Car Naval. Rainy taxi. (1974-1985);

Gala's Boat Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

The stage area, which is separated from the courtyard by a wall of glass, and features several large paintings, cut-outs, and sculptures, including:

Stage and Project for Labyrinth Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

A giant painting, identified as Project for “Labyrinth” and signed Gala Salvador Dali 1941, which serves as a backdrop of sorts for the stage,

Stage Area Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

pixelated painting titled Gala Nude Looking at the Sea Which at 18 Metres Appears the President Lincoln (1975), (it does look like Lincoln),

Reclining Man Chair Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

A very strange sculpture of a reclining man/chair,

Statue of Moses Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

A colossal statue of Moses (after Michelangelo) with an octopus above his head and a copy of Sigmund Freud’s Moise et Monotheisme with cover relief and illustrations by Dalí, at his feet;

Entrance to Side Gallery Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Side galleries, near the stage, house exhibits of additional works, such as:

Port Alguer Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Port Alguer (c. 1923)

Girl from Figueres Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Girl from Figueres (1926)

Two Girls Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Two Girls (c. 1922)

Tomb Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

One floor below, just beneath the stage, you’ll see where Dalí was buried, following his death in 1989.  

Stairway Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Additional works in the museum’s collections, some of which were in Dalí’s private art collection, are displayed in the crypt, tower rooms, and stairwell. Among these works are:

Unique pieces by Dalí, such as:

Isis Porte Portrait Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Isis – Porte Portrait, a golden bird standing on a chunk of amethyst with a portrait of Gala above its head,

Tortue Porte Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Tortue Porte, a stone turtle carrying a stack of gold medallions, each with an image of Dalí and Gala,

Golden Charm Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

a golden Charme,

 Venus de Milo with Drawers Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Venus de Milo with drawers – Salvador Dalí, 1964;

Wind Palace Painted Ceiling Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Painted ceiling panels depicting gargantuan feet (in the Wind Palace);

Clothing and other fashions, including:

 Dress by Paco Rabanne Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Dress (fashioned from plastic plates and metal rings) – Paco Rabanne, ca. 1966,

 Costume House of Dior Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

Costumes of the Dior house when Pierre Cardin collaborated there, 1951.

Mae West Room Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

But, the oddity among oddities is the Mae West Room, which serves as an exhibition gallery for Dalí’s truly bizarre installation, Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment (ca. 1974). This work is a compilation of seemingly random items (his Mae West lips sofa, a nose shaped hearth, framed pictures on the wall, and golden, hair-like curtains) that when viewed together through a special magnifying glass – in a window at the top of the steps on the back of an elevated camel – reflects the 3D image of iconic actress Mae West. 

Clock Face Dali Theatre Museum Figueres Spain

To see her, follow the line of people snaking along the far wall, past funky statues and other installations. And, don’t forget to take in the rest of your surroundings; like the inverted bathtub and tables that make up the ceiling.

Getting there

The Dalí Theatre-Museum is located at Gala-Salvador Dalí Square, 5.

Ticket Info

Adult Admission = 14.00€; includes visit to the neighboring Dalí – Jewels exhibition

Adult Admission = 15.00€; Theatre-Museum by Night, includes Dalí – Jewels exhibition

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