Salvador Dali Museum

Word Count: 1283

Salvador Dali Museum

The Salvador Dali museum was founded by Dali’s leading collectors, Reynolds and Eleanor Morse. They were not only friends of Dali but also private collectors of his work.

The couple stored the collection in their home for a long period of time, the even agreed to loan two hundred pieces to a “New York Dali retrospective” before finally deciding to give the collection a permanent home. Dali encouraged the couple to build a museum in New York, although they thought this was a wonderful idea they still kept searching. One of their goals for the collection was to preserve the collections historical integrity. When word reached St. Petersburg, attorney, James W. Martin worked quickly to persuade the Morse’s that sunny St. Petersburg Florida was the spot for them. After independent foundations were established to receive and manage the collection, the state legislature had appropriated two million dollars for the museum to be built and another on million to cover operational expenses for the first five years. The museum officially opened to the public March 10th 1982. since the opening their has been one expansion project in 1989, which allowed for extra 11,000 square feet, and added interior walls creating 125% more exhibit space. The collection now consists of ninety-six oil paintings, over one hundred water colors and drawing and over 1,300 graphics, sculptures, and photographs.

Every year hundreds of thousands of visitors come from around the world to see the Salvador Dali Museum and the vast array of art the collection encompasses. Why the thrill? Because Dali was a leading artist in Surrealism and his art work is very well known around the world. The vast collection at this museum accommodates anyone’s taste for any form of artistic appreciation. Like many artists Dali went through artistic periods, which correlated with his life and life experiences. With oil paintings from 1917 through the 1970’s this collection of art is an excellent overview of Dali’s major themes and symbols. One might wonder why a museum would focus on only one artist; however the Dali museum is very diverse. It includes the Impressionist and Cubist styles of his early period, abstract work from his transition to Surrealism, and covers the religious and scientific themes of his classic period.

Salvador Dali was born into a middle class family on May 11th 1904 in Figures, Spain. During his lifetime, he was an eccentric painter, writer, sculptor and experimental film maker. In Dali’s early years of painting he experimented at first with landscapes, most of which were of his home in Figueres, Spain. Dali also made paintings of the surrounding area of his family’s summer home, in the seaside town of Cadaques. Dali’s transitional period was between 1927 and 1929, these were years of experimentation. In this period gravel, rocks, cork, and other materials can be noted on his canvases. This was more abstract period then others, at this time in Dali’s life he had just been kicked out of the art school he had been attending .

As Dali moved into his Surrealist years he became more interested in psychology and exploring his own fears and fantasies. Dali’s Surrealist period last from 1929-1940, in which years he joined the Surrealist Movement, and shortly after became a leader in this movement. In order to bring images from his “subconscious mind”, Dali began to use a method to find inspiration for his art; he would induce hallucinatory states in himself. As his work matured, and his fame grew stronger, people were starting to recognize him as the best Surrealist artist. As the war approached the apolitical side of Dali clashed with the Surrealist group and he was later expelled from the group. As Dali started to move into a new type of painting, with a focus on religion and science, his Surrealist years came to a close, and his classical period began. Dali proved through his artistic career that he was not limited to one style or media, and that he was an evolving artist.

The Salvador Dali Museum is the home to paintings from every artistic period of Dali’s life. Dali began as a young artist; one of his first paintings is a landscape of the village of Cadaques, located on Spain’s northeastern coast. “View of Cadaques with Shadow of Mount Pani” is one from the oil collection, and has impressionist tones. The village of Cadaques was a prominent part of Dali’s life and work, the village can be noted in later pieces. Cadaques provided Dali with specific motifs for his art throughout his career; this helped to form