Dabbling with Dali: 3 days of dizzying delight with the art of a genius

 

The Dali Theatre-Museum is a magnificent, over-the-top creation designed by Salvador Dali himself.  He supervised construction upon the remains of the former Figueres Theatre of his childhood.
It is one of three museums operated by the Dali Foundation, all worthy of close attention.

Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers
at the Gala Dali Castle in Pubol, a place of
exuberant creativity dedicated to Dali's wife.

Salvador Dali supervised the "redo" of the
former Figueres theatre, where he showed his
early work. The stairway of Dali Theatre-
Museum is one of many eye-catching features.
 

HELLO, DALI!
SPANISH ARTIST
CREATED UNIQUE BODY OF ART

Flamboyant maestro of dreams and delusions has trio of unique museums in Spain

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

                                                                PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

A polar bear greets visitors to the Gala and Dali
house in Port Lligat, Cadaques. It is one of many
bizarre and intriguing features of the home.
 

IT WAS a dizzying three days, as we visited a trio of museums in Spain devoted to the art of Salvador Dali. His works are under the control of the Dalí Foundation. It includes three very different museums in Figueres, Púbol and Port Lligat in  Cadaqués. We joined 1.5 million people who make a pilgrimage each year to the "Dalí Triangle." 

Dali Castle in Port Lligat, Cadaques, is a gorgeous
castle which Dali purchased as a gift for Gala.
He could not visit without written permission.

Each of the 3 museums is unique, worthy of a visit.

Dali Castle in Port Lligat, Cadaques, is a gorgeous
castle which Dali purchased as a gift for Gala.
He could not visit without written permission.

It's best to savor them on different days, to spread the wonder -- giving each museum its own "breathing room" and devoting time to each place. They deserve the attention and you will need the time to sort, digest and ponder this maestro of dreams and delusion.

WE HAD visited the Dali Theatre-Museum twice before and years apart since it was inaugurated 50 years ago in 1974.  We decided to revisit the unique museum as it entered its second half- century of entertaining a worldwide audience. We needed the grounding and reminder of his scope.

Larger than life Dali, click here

THE MUSEUM in Figueres is a culmination of the eccentric surrealist's life work, conceived and designed by Dali, who visited daily to supervise. The place is as intriguing and mysterious as Dali. 
Its broad range of work begins with his earliest artistic experiences and follows into his final years.  An homage to Mae West has its own room. 

 

Dali's exquisite jewel artworks:
dazzling gold, precious stones.

In other galleries, Dali's detailed landscapes need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate his immaculate tiny brushstrokes.  On close inspection, one finds intricate trees, people and objects that might go unnoticed. Our 

In Figueres, Mae West
has her own gallery.

guide borrowed a fellow tourist's phone to show the detail of a postage-stamp-sized detail: an entire cityscape emerged to our "oohs and aahs." There are dozens of drawings, too, and if you aren't sufficiently dazzled, the Dali-Jewels gallery near the building's exit will push you over the top: 41 exquisite gold and stone jewels.

THE TWO less visited museums are a Medieval castle in Pubol, which Dali bought for his wife, muse and equally eccentric Gala, and

Dali's castle gift for Gala came with strings
attached -- not by him, but by her.  

 the Salvador Dali House-Museum, the most personal of the three.  It is in the municipality of Cadaques, in a village on the bay known as Port Lligat. (Sometimes spelled as a single word.) 

Dali and Gala (center)
entertained the Walt
Disneys and others.

FANS OF Dali will find each place offers fascinating detail with insights into the life of the man who lived from 1904 to 1989. He was named after a dead brother and raised by a tyrannical father which naturally shaped him and influenced his art. He studied in Madrid and in 1929, he met Gala, Russian wife of fellow surrealist poet Paul Éluard. She became his lifelong muse and partner. Gala and Dalí moved into a small house in Portl Lligat in 1930, which they expanded as they purchased nearby fishermen's huts. In 1969, Dali began converting the 12th Century castle in Púbol into '"Gala's Castle" collecting textiles, antiques and murals to create a splendid setting where Gala reigned.  Designed as a gift to Gala, the castle became her private home, and Dalí could visit only with Gala's prior written permission.

The approach to Dali's Port Lligat home gives
a feeling of the peace that the artist felt there.

THE HOME on the port is our favorite -- the complex of transformed fisherman's huts is a maze of eccentric adornments -- a stuffed bear, a mirror that seizes morning light, dozens of personal effects. From his bedroom Dali could see the coast. He built a beautiful terrace, put his spin on a Greek statue and decorated his swimming pool.

More on Dali, click here

Dali chose the bay for his home.
He spent his last years there
after his wife, Gala, died.

You've likely heard of the world famous Salvador Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres but not many outside of Spain know about Dalí ’s house in Port  Lligat or his wife’s castle in Pubol, sometimes called  "the Kinky Castle" because Gala entertained her young lovers there. Some believe Dali encouraged her liasons with voyeuristic enthusiasm.  

Dali's "The Persistence of
Time," his most famous work. 

Dali was a master of self promotion
and Gala was an expert at getting
the best prices for his artwork. 

GALA DIED in 1982 and was buried on the Castle's grounds. Then Dalí remained in Port Lligat, establishing his final studio. In our three days, we came to know Dali better.  He was flamboyant -- he wore sweeping capes and grew his signature mustache early in his career.  He was sensitive, felt things deeply
and reacted with passion to slights. But the visionary artist strayed from the avant-garde, eventually alienating comrades through his outspoken support for Franco and his idiosyncratic flair. His prodigious creativity cannot be denied for it spawned paintings, sculpture, fashion, advertisements, books and film.  His ending was sad: he was badly burned in a fire and spent his final years wheelchair bound.

More information on tickets and booking. Reservations are required: www.salvador-dali.org; reserves@fundaciodali.org 

Antoni Gaudi's Guell Park is full of magical creations.
Come with us to visit one of Barcelona's beloved attractions. 

ON TAP:  We're in an "art state of mind," visiting both nature's creations and some of the world's greatest museums in Spain, England, the Caribbean and in the U.S. Coming in the next weeks are pieces on Antoni Gaudi's magical Guell Park in Barcelona, the caves of Barbados and Bermuda, a beautiful crater in Ponta Delgada and the masterpieces within the fabulous Museum of Modern Art in New York City. We're mingling with famous artist creations, paintings and painters and we will also head to the real west to feature a Montana museum celebrating the work of cowboy artist Charles Russell. Meanwhile, keep on the sunny side, visit a museum, treat a friend or relative to an art gallery stroll and remember to explore, learn and live.  Catch us weekly for a fresh spin on performance, art, travel, family and more:  www.whereiscookie.com