Figueres and Salvador Dalí

On my last day with my aunt and cousin, we headed to Figueres to visit the Dalí museum. Figueres and Dalí are two names that go hand in hand, as the famous artist was born there.

Streets of Figueres

The Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí was conceived and designed by Dalí himself. The main building was originally a theatre when Dalí was growing up in Figueres, but burned down in the Spanish Civil War. Many years later Dalí helped in the reconstruction of the theatre with the intention of turning it into a museum for himself. It later on did become his museum, and has since been expanded. The exterior of the museum is pink and adorned with giants eggs and pieces of bread, two prominent Dalinian symbols. The museum didn't offer an explanation of the symbols (at least there were no free guides or brochures), but a quick Google search says that the eggs symbolize "hope and love" while the bread represents "feeding the mind."

I want my museum to be a single block, a labyrinth, a great surrealist object. It will be a totally theatrical museum. The people who come to see it will leave with the sensation of having had a theatrical dream. — Salvador Dalí

The museum houses thousands of Dalí's work, and he even created several installations and art pieces specifically for the museum. Aside from his paintings and the installations, there are his early sketches, sculptures, holograms made by other artists of his work, and even jewelry that Dalí designed. It's quite interesting to visit as Dalí was essentially the curator of his own museum. He also apparently lived there in the last years of his life, and is laid to rest there -- his tomb can be visited in the basement.

Installation in the central courtyard of the museum

Cadillac installation in the central courtyard of the museum

"Soft Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon" (1941)

Glass dome in the main patio

Huge surrealist painting in the main patio

 One of my favorite paintings was the one in the middle of the picture below. I noticed it when I looked up when I was walking nearby, and could see the nude Gala with some sort of background around her. I walked to the other end of the room to take a picture of the painting, and lo and behold I saw the silhouette of Abraham Lincoln. I later found out that the painting is aptly titled "Gala Nude Looking at the Sea Which at 18 Metres Appears the President Lincoln."

"Gala Nude Looking at the Sea Which at 18 Metres Appears the President Lincoln" (1975)

"Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment" (1974)

"Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment" (1974)

Again, though I'm not a huge fan of Dalí, it's impressive to see what he's done. The variety, creativity, and scope of all his work is pretty amazing. It was also especially interesting to visit the museum after we had visited his house in Cadaqués and learned more about him and his life, as you can see the influences of his experiences in his artwork.