The Dali Museum

Fans of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí need not travel to Spain‘s Costa Brava to explore an exceptional display of his work. St. Petersburg’s Dalí Museum houses the private collection of Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, the largest assembly of pieces by the artist outside Europe. Among the museum’s 2,100 items by Dalí are paintings, drawings, sculptures, photos and much more, including many of the artist’s most important works.

The Dalí Museum has a wonderful collection of Salvador Dalí’s work. From postcard-sized paintings he did as a child to mural masterpieces, the many sides of Dalí’s work fills rooms worth wandering. The museum offers a knowledgeable tour, has a tasty Spanish cafe, and is housed in a very Dalí-inspired glass building.

When in America, the Dali Museum is the place to see the works of the Spanish artist Salvador Dali. The lovely waterfront museum houses the largest collection outside of Spain including: 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, as well as many photographs, sculptures, and an extensive archival library. The building itself is reminiscent of his very cool museum in Figueres, Spain that I also visited. During the five years I lived in St. Pete, Dali was always a highlight and this Museum is a fond reminder.

The 20,000-square-foot Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg is dedicated to the world’s most comprehensive collection of masterpieces by Salvador Dalí, including 96 oil paintings, more than 100 watercolors and drawings, and 1,300 graphics, photos, sculptures, and objets d’art. Adding to the appeal, the building itself is a surreal work of art. For a bit of learning, take the kids to the Mathematical Garden to correlate the relationship between math and nature, or find a way through the labyrinth.

What a treat to return, after 13 long years, to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL and find it in a new, striking building designed with Dali’s life in mind. This picture is looking out from the museum onto Tampa Bay.

When a bench meets a Dali melting clock. The garden outside the museum embodies Dali, from this bench to a shrubbery labyrinth.

One notices immediately the amoebic glass which distends from the Dali Museum. It is appropriately named the “enigma” and pays tribute to the dome enveloping Salvador Dali’s museum in Spain and, perhaps, to Dali himself. A spiral staircase (Dali was fascinated by the DNA helix); a butterfly garden (Dali saw the summer birds as transformative creatures); a large rock at the entrance from Cadaqués, the coastal village where he was raised (landscapes from Dali’s past frequently appear in his works): The museum has many subtle features to honor Dali. The Dali Museum holds the largest collection of Dali’s paintings outside of Europe. Many of his seminal works are here: melting timepieces; levitating place-settings; Abraham Lincoln (a favorite, ahem, of mine when I first saw it as a teen); his masterworks (The Hallucinogenic Toreador, The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus). My new favorite piece is Portrait of My Dead Brother, a haunting work weighted with symbolism that appears, from a safe distance, like an innocuous a graphic print. Dali’s works are so allegorical I would strongly recommend taking the tour. Without someone to point out the nuances, the paintings are like a good foreign film without subtitles: beautiful and fascinating but in need of the quiet details which contribute to their depth. The museum’s cafe serving tapas and Spanish wines looks out through the enigma to Tampa Bay and is a very good place to unwind after a day at the Dali.

The Dali houses the largest collection of works by Salvador Dali outside of Europe. Here, you can view several of Dali’s first, Impressionist-inspired pieces, as well as several of his large masterworks. Museum-goers can also view photographs documenting Dali and his wife and muse, Gala, as well as visiting exhibits. The docents are the best I’ve ever seen and extremely knowledgeable on Dali’s life and work, and the free audio guide provides extra insight into Dali and his work. The museum is housed in a fascinating piece of architecture and features a wish tree, giant mustache that is the perfect photo opp and melting watch bench outside.