{"id":943,"date":"2011-07-14T19:45:53","date_gmt":"2011-07-14T23:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/?p=943"},"modified":"2014-12-14T00:42:16","modified_gmt":"2014-12-14T05:42:16","slug":"new-dali-museum-stretches-the-limits-of-the-imagination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slammie.com\/atomicgrog\/blog\/2011\/07\/14\/new-dali-museum-stretches-the-limits-of-the-imagination\/","title":{"rendered":"New Dal\u00ed Museum stretches the limits of the imagination"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today’s world of pop surrealism, of which I’m a big fan, nobody holds a candle to the master: Salvador Dal\u00ed. Those of us stuck in central and South Florida are lucky enough to have access to perhaps the greatest collection of Dal\u00ed artwork outside of Spain. <\/p>\n

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The glass structure that envelopes the Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg is visible from the 'Avant-Garden,' where visitors can relax on a one-of-a-kind bench. (Photo by Susan Hayward, May 2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg is a must-see for anyone interested in the legendary surrealist, but it offers much more. It’s been named the top museum in the South by the Michelin Guide<\/em> and called “one of the top buildings you have to see before you die.” This $36 million state-of-the-art facility is sure to please all lovers of modern art and is a surreal experience in its own right. Make sure you allow yourself at least half a day as there’s lots to see.<\/p>\n

The new facility on the waterfront in St. Petersburg Beach just opened in January, and we paid a visit in May. It replaces an older building that housed the Dal\u00ed collection in St. Petersburg for nearly 30 years but was limited in size to fully showcase the great master’s work. Even if you’ve been to the old museum, you need to return to check out this modern marvel, which features 20,000-square-feet of gallery space and a design that truly has to be seen to be appreciated.<\/p>\n

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The sleek concrete building is more than double the size of the old one and truly does justice to the second largest collection of Dal\u00ed’s works outside of his native Figueres, Spain. Some consider it the world’s most comprehensive collection.<\/p>\n

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The 'Helical Staircase' in the Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg was inspired by the artist's fascination of spiral forms. (Photo by Susan Hayward, May 2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sheer size allows all 96 of the museum’s oil paintings to be displayed along with the rest of the collection, which includes 100 of the renowned artist’s watercolors, drawings, and 1,300 other objects such as sculptures and graphics. It also features a running loop of Un Chien Andalou<\/I>, one of the greatest surrealist films ever made.<\/p>\n

The works had to be rotated in the old museum, with much of it kept in storage. The scope of Dal\u00ed’s work is amazing when you see it, then take into account that many of his works are in galleries in Spain, Paris, London, New York, California and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The structure, overlooking Tampa Bay, is itself a work of art. After parking in the huge adjacent lot, you can spend at least a half-hour wandering around the perimeter and marveling at the design while also exploring the garden (which includes a labyrinth, a recurring Dal\u00ed theme) and grotto. A builder’s nightmare, the fa\u00e7ade features nearly 1,000 multi-layered triangular glass panels, no two of which are exactly the same.<\/p>\n

The striking “Glass Enigma” is the first building in North America with an irregular hexagonal form, allowing for a curved design that is self-supporting. It was designed by architect Yann Weymouth, who had a hand in creating the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris. It’s been called a 21st century expression of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, which is featured in the Dal\u00ed Theatre and Museum in Figueres, above the basement vault where Dal\u00ed is buried. Look closely and you’ll notice that the glass shifts hue and color with the Florida sunshine. <\/p>\n

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Hurricane Hayward is lost in the labyrinth, a maze of hedges outside the Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg. (Photo by Susan Hayward, May 2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Behind the museum is the “Avant-Garden,” where you can relax on a bench unlike any you’ve ever seen. The adjacent labyrinth is actually a maze of hedges that may leave you looking over your shoulder for Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining<\/em>. <\/p>\n

If you can find your way out of the labyrinth, you enter the museum across a bridge that parts the waters of the grotto pond. It’s a little tropical oasis featuring native flora growing vertically up a wall, trickling water, mists, and breezes. Limestone mined from a quarry near Lake Okeechobee represents Dal\u00ed’s love for the rock formations of Cadaqu\u00e9s, the small fishing village in Spain that he often visited in his childhood and where he later lived for many years.<\/p>\n

Before you pay your admission fee, you have access to a huge store with tons of Dal\u00ed merchandise. Of course, Dal\u00ed himself was a master merchandiser and you’re likely to find many items here you may remember (Dal\u00ed cologne, anyone?) plus many more that are available only at the museum (Melty Clock Cookies, yum). There were so many great items on the shelves, it was tough choosing what to buy.<\/p>\n

Amid all the merchandise is a distinctive art installation, “Rainy Rolls 2010,” an homage to Dal\u00ed’s “Rainy Taxi.” Engineered by the Tampa Bay Auto Museum, this reinterpretation of one of Dal\u00ed’s greatest surreal objects from the late 1930s challenges our expectations by turning them upside down. The building also contains a caf\u00e9, theater, classroom, and student gallery. <\/p>\n

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The atrium outside the third-floor galleries at the Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg offers a picturesque view of the outside garden with Tampa Bay in the distance. (Photo by Susan Hayward, May 2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The centerpiece of the interior is the 75-foot “Helical Staircase,” a spiral that leads you up to the third-floor galleries. Inspired by Dal\u00ed (he was fascinated by spiral forms in nature), it was created with mathematical precision to resemble a strand of DNA. After climbing the helix, we arrived at the atrium for a breathtaking view of Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

We then embarked on a journey through Dal\u00ed’s great body of work in chronological order. The new museum’s first exhibition, which is still ongoing, is “\u00a1Viva la Revelaci\u00f3n!” It presents the collection in sequence, from early works such as a 1921 self-portrait through a bizarre multimedia piece from the 1970s featuring a hologram of Alice Cooper. The audio tour comes in handy and is highly recommended. The headphones are free; just pick them up when you get your ticket.<\/p>\n

The museum holds seven of the 18 masterwork paintings by Dal\u00ed – including “The Hallucinogenic Toreador” and “The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus” – the most of any collection in the world. <\/p>\n

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'Rainy Rolls 2010' is an art installation in the Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg that pays homage to the surrealist's 'Rainy Taxi' from the 1930s. (Photo by Susan Hayward, May 2011)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s fascinating to trace Dal\u00ed’s life from his beginnings as a classically trained artist of still lifes and landscapes, through his evolution into the world of surrealism, then into a later phase of gigantic religious-themed paintings. Dal\u00ed changed the course of 20th century art unlike any other artist, boldly exploring every available medium while becoming one of the first modern pop culture icons. <\/p>\n

Dal\u00ed had no special connection to St. Petersburg. His works ended up there almost by accident. Dal\u00ed was a lifelong obsession of an Ohio couple (A. Reynolds Morse and Eleanor Morse), who began collecting the surrealist’s work in 1942. They offered to donate their collection for free to any venue that would keep it intact. A St. Petersburg lawyer spearheaded an effort to build the original gallery in 1980, and it opened in 1982. We’re just glad it’s close enough for a weekend trip whenever we feel a bit uninspired. If this astounding collection of work doesn’t get your imagination flowing, nothing will. <\/p>\n