Dali Museum in Figueres - is it worthy or a trap for tourists?
Oct 20th, 1999, 06:50 AM
#1
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Dali Museum in Figueres - is it worthy or a trap for tourists?
Hi there! I am planning a trip to Spain in March/2000, including 4 days in Barcelona. do you think I should go on a trip to the Dali Museum in Figueres, or should I stay sightseeing in Barcelona? If the answer is that I should go and se The Master of surrealism, please help-me on tips about how to get there by myself(or it is better book a excursion while in barcelona?). THANKS A LOT IN ADVANCE!
Oct 20th, 1999, 10:58 AM
#2
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You HAVE to go to the Dali Museum; just the building alone (with the giant eggs on top) and the sculptures in the courtyard are worth the trip. And the Mae West room - well, you have to see it to believe it. <BR>The town itself is very pretty (seaside). You can get there via train from Barcelona easily; it takes about two hours. I don't remember which train station, though.
Oct 20th, 1999, 11:04 AM
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ph, I trust you are not driving. If you <BR>were, you can make a wonderful day of the entire Costa Brava. If not, then I <BR>would opt first for a day trip to a true <BR>marvel--Monserrat. Not to be missed and <BR>an easy trip by local transport from <BR>Barcelona.
Oct 20th, 1999, 02:25 PM
#6
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ph: <BR> While I do generally like and have studied the work of Dali and have Dali lithographs in my home (those so called limited editions supposedly "signed" by the artist, but most likely fake, I strongly suspect, as I was duped as so many have been!), I was very disappointed with the museum. Dali seemed to be laughing from his grave at the gullible who make the pilgramage to his self-designed shrine to the outrageous. (He designed this as his mausoleum). His best and most artistically impressive works are not there (the Reina Sofia in Madrid has some very important pieces, as does MOMA), and I felt that it was, in general, a "tomadura de pelo" (deception, rip-off, mockery, hoax) as my Spanish friends like to describe it. But this is a matter of personal taste and regarding Dali there are some very strong opinions. It is, nonetheless, the second most visited museum in Spain, after the Prado. The building itself is amusing, extravagant, over-the-top, and you will either be entertained by the museum and have a good chuckle over the absurdity of it all or very annoyed that you spent the time (a 2 hr. train ride) and money on it. The town of Figueres is not on the sea; it's an inland humdrum market town, pleasant enough but certainly not in the same league as the beautifully restored medieval villages of Pals or Perallada nearer to the coast. <BR> I would spend my time in Barcelona visiting the architectural marvels of the Modernist arquitect Antonio Gaudi-the Parque Guell, the Pedrera and Casa Batallo, the Sagrada Familia-the Picasso Museum, the spectacular Museum of Romanesque Art and for a day trip I would visit the Monastery of Monserrat, which my fellow Fodorites have told you is indeed a genuine marvel.
Oct 21st, 1999, 07:17 AM
#8
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PH: As the others have stated, it's a matter of perspectives. It was important to me to go to Figueres because, at the time, I was a docent at the Dali Museum in St Petersburg. I got some good insights for my work and enjoyed touring the surrounding area (Costa Brava) which influenced much of Dali's paintings.
Oct 22nd, 1999, 08:44 AM
#11
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Dali's home is in the seaside village of Port Lligat, next to the artist colony of Cadaques. It is open to the public, but I believe that you might have to call ahead for an appt. to visit. I have not been inside-have just driven by on a trip along that northern section of the Costa Brava, near the French border.
