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).
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:
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);
The stage area, which is separated from the courtyard by a wall of glass, and features several large paintings, cut-outs, and sculptures, including:
A giant painting, identified as Project for “Labyrinth” and signed Gala Salvador Dali 1941, which serves as a backdrop of sorts for the stage,
A pixelated painting titled Gala Nude Looking at the Sea Which at 18 Metres Appears the President Lincoln (1975), (it does look like Lincoln),
A very strange sculpture of a reclining man/chair,
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;
Side galleries, near the stage, house exhibits of additional works, such as:
Port Alguer (c. 1923)
Girl from Figueres (1926)
Two Girls (c. 1922)
One floor below, just beneath the stage, you’ll see where Dalí was buried, following his death in 1989.
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, a golden bird standing on a chunk of amethyst with a portrait of Gala above its head,
Tortue Porte, a stone turtle carrying a stack of gold medallions, each with an image of Dalí and Gala,
a golden Charme,
Venus de Milo with drawers – Salvador Dalí, 1964;
Painted ceiling panels depicting gargantuan feet (in the Wind Palace);
Clothing and other fashions, including:
Dress (fashioned from plastic plates and metal rings) – Paco Rabanne, ca. 1966,
Costumes of the Dior house when Pierre Cardin collaborated there, 1951.
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.
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
Summary
Reviewer
Mike Young
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Reviewed Item
Dalí Theatre-Museum
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