Imagine a Florida vacation: calm
sandy beaches on the Gulf, fruity drinks, theme parks, exotic wildlife, and
long evenings spent with friends might all come to mind. Many people don’t
necessarily count museum visits among their top tropical vacation things-to-do,
and far fewer would list lobster phones and melting clocks. On a recent trip to
St. Petersburg Florida, though, I knew that one of the things I absolutely did
not want to miss was the Salvador Dali Museum.
I
first became fascinated with Dali’s art completely by chance when I was
studying abroad in London. While walking along the River Thames I stumbled upon
a travelling exhibit, The Dali Universe. What else can you do when you see
larger-than-life spindle-legged elephants and melting clock sculptures set
against a backdrop of classic London attractions? You just have to explore! In
the Dali Universe gallery I discovered some of Dali’s most iconic, and also
less well known, paintings, sculptures, furniture, and fashion, including
Cabinet Anthropomorphique and Space Elephant. I was completely unprepared for
what I encountered, but I was hooked. I knew that if I ever had another chance
to see Dali’s work firsthand, I’d take it.
Cut
to early summer 2017. The Salvador Dali Museum, known by locals as “The Dali,”
stands on the waterfront in Old St. Petersburg. The museum’s collection is
largely comprised of the extensive personal collection of Reynolds and Eleanor
Morse. The Morses began collecting Dali’s work in the early 1940s, and even met
and became good friends with Dali and his wife, Gala. Although The Dali’s
collection includes works from all periods of Salvador Dali’s long and varied
career, the collection is still weighted toward those bodies of work which the
Morses most preferred: Dali’s early work which was heavily influenced by
Impressionism and the pursuit of highly technical skill, certain surrealist
subject matter, and his “nuclear mysticism,” which featured images of
religious, historical, and scientific themes. Today, the museum houses the
largest collection of Dali’s work outside of Europe.
The building itself embodies the
spirit of Dali’s work by combining the rational with the fantastical. The
original Dali Museum in St. Pete’s opened in 1982, and this new construction
was completed in early 2011. The museum is a simple rectangle, out of which
flows an eye-catching free-form geodesic bubble. This glass structure is known
as the “enigma,” and though it looks fanciful, the enigma is actually made up
of 1,062 pieces of triangular glass, each one cut to unique and specific
dimensions; no two pieces are the same. The enigma isn’t the museum’s only
mathematical marvel either. The middle of the airy building features a helical
staircase reminiscent of the DNA spiral, something that appeared often in
Dali’s work.
So,
who was this international man of mystery, Salvador Dali? Dali was born in 1904 in Figueres, Spain. His
talent was apparent at an early age, and he attended drawing school and studied
art in university. He gained a high degree of technical skill, and as a young
adult began to experiment with more modern and avant-garde forms of art,
including Cubism and Dadaism. He is probably best known for his works as a
Surrealist artist, however, with “The Persistence of Memory,” featuring the
famous melting clocks, being his most well-known work. Later, Dali became
fascinated with science, nature, and religion, incorporating elements of all
three into his paintings. Several of the grandest of these works are housed at
the Dali Museum and measure over 10 feet by 13 feet. Dali did not restrict
himself to painting. He produced many works of art in sculpture, film, fashion,
photography, and furniture.
Dali
the man was every bit as grandiose and bizarre as his artwork. He was expelled
from the inner circle of surrealist artists for his narcissism and pursuit of
prominence, and was famously quoted as saying, “Each morning when I awake, I
experience again a supreme pleasure - that of being Salvador Dali.” His pointy,
long, flamboyant mustache is famous the world over, and his personal
eccentricities sometimes overshadowed his artwork.
I’ve
barely been able to scratch the surface of the Dali’s work and fascinating
life. To learn more about the man and his art, check out these books from the
Morrill Memorial Library: “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali” by Salvador Dali,
“The Persistence of Memory: A biography of Dali” by Meredith Etherington-Smith,
“The World of Salvador Dali” by Robert Descharnes, “Salvador Dali” by Jessica
Hodge, and “This is Dali,” a partially graphic novel by Catherine Ingram and
Andrew Rae. And if you’re ever in St. Pete’s, absolutely visit The Dali - you
won’t be disappointed.
