The museum itself is located near the campus of the University of South Florida next to a marina. A couple that was friends with Dali and his wife started collecting his works in the 1940s, assembling the largest private collection of his works in the world.
When the collection became too large, the couple looked for a museum that would keep the works. The waterfront location in St. Petersburg was their top pick.
I happened to visit on a Thursday night when hours are extended until 8 p.m. and after 5:00 the admission price drops to $5.
The museum is divided into a number of galleries that display Dali’s work chronologically. It was interesting to learn that Dali began painting and drawing as a young child and some of the works displayed are from his early teen years.
Some of Dali’s first works were Impressionist, and he made a brief foray into cubism ala Pablo Picasso.
The bulk of his work though is Surrealism, and as the name suggests, some of it is very different. He uses a lot of waterfront scenes, and some have very sexual content.
I was lucky enough to hear the final few moments of a presentation by one of the staff members in the Masterworks gallery. This area features 8-10 wall-sized pieces. The woman intricately explained the many hidden elements in some of his works, including The Hallucenogenic Toreador, which features numerous depictions of Venus de Milo, a hidden bullfighter and much more.
That piece and two others really caught my eye. I enjoyed Portrait of My Dead Brother, which was comprised mostly of dots, and The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.On the way out of the gallery to the gift shop, the final exhibit is a gallery of surrealist art from are middle and high school students. That too was fascinating.
The exhibit is changed three to four times per year. Regular adult admission is $17.
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