4/20/22 Salvador Dali

Today we drove north an hour and a half to Figueres, the original home of Salvador Dali and home to a museum to him. Dali was a very talented artist in traditional styles, with salable works created as a teenager. Later, he became focused on Surrealism. There were a few themes we saw repeatedly: bread and figures with hollowed out middles.

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the art history of Dali, but unfortunately for me, did such a deep dive into his works that I ended up tuning out quite a bit. Dali was named for his older brother who had died nine months earlier as a toddler and apparently was encouraged to think of himself as his brother's reincarnation. He started official art traning as a 12 year old and had his first public exhibit at 14. 

Exterior of the museum decorated with
eggs and bread

The bread loaves all over the walls.

Art at the entrance

The figures in the wall are the 'Oscarinas' -- female Oscars.

This a moving figure that expands out to the figure of
an angel

A figure with a loaf of bread and missing
center

Dali's grave. He wanted to be buried in
his castle next to his wife, Gala, but when
he died the Mayor declared Dali had
changed his mind and directed his burial
here. He was exhumed a few years ago
to provide DNA for a court order of a woman
who claimed to be his daughter by his
housekeeper. She lied.

The photo above shows what the arrangement
below depicts from the proper angle,
which sadly was not possible to photograph
in the room where it is displayed. This is
supposed to be Mae West.

A Dali painting in the apartment where he
lived at the museum. The lower edge of
the painting shows Dali & Gala overlooking
the sea.

The balconies of the two buildings above have unique
decorations.

Another Dali figure near the museum

Marcel finished the official day with a discussion of the Catalonian independence movement before leading us to dinner.