Casa Salvador Dalí
“My painting cannot be understood without first getting to know Port Lligat,” said the great surrealist. Once you’ve seen the rocky shoreline and distant horizon here, you’ll recognize it in almost every Dalí picture you see.
In the 1930s, the artist and his wife Gala acquired a couple of fishermen’s huts in this secluded cove. Over the next 50 years they expanded the labyrinthine space into a home, a studio, and a surrealist playground. The guided visit, from the moment you’re greeted by a stuffed polar bear holding a lamp, is a madcap delight. You’ll see the mechanical easel Dalí built into the floor so he could paint his large canvases from his chair; the window and mirror arrangement with which he claimed to be the first Spaniard to see the sunrise each day; and Gala’s Oval room, where she collected magazine clippings of the couple’s exploits. There is just one grand bedroom—while the couple regularly hosted wild parties, they never allowed their guests to stay over.
Once the guided part of the tour is complete, you can wander in the olive gardens and watch video clips of Dalí and Gala cavorting in all the extraordinary spots you’ve just visited. Don’t miss the enormous sculpture of found items, Christ of the Rubbish, which makes sense once you take a few steps back. The tour ends among Pirelli tire ads and a pink-lipped sofa at the phallic-shaped swimming pool, scene of the couple’s notorious orgies. While Gala was an enthusiastic participant, Dalí preferred to watch. Tip: book ahead online and be sure to arrive on time for your slot.
“My painting cannot be understood without first getting to know Port Lligat,” said the great surrealist. Once you’ve seen the rocky shoreline and distant horizon here, you’ll recognize it in almost every Dalí picture you see.
In the 1930s, the artist and his wife Gala acquired a couple of fishermen’s huts in this secluded cove. Over the next 50 years they expanded the labyrinthine space into a home, a studio, and a surrealist playground. The guided visit, from the moment you’re greeted by a stuffed polar bear holding a lamp, is a madcap delight. You’ll see the mechanical easel Dalí built into the floor so he could paint his large canvases from his chair; the window and mirror arrangement with which he claimed to be the first Spaniard to see the sunrise each day; and Gala’s Oval room, where she collected magazine clippings of the couple’s exploits. There is just one grand bedroom—while the couple regularly hosted wild parties, they never allowed their guests to stay over.
Once the guided part of the tour is complete, you can wander in the olive gardens and watch video clips of Dalí and Gala cavorting in all the extraordinary spots you’ve just visited. Don’t miss the enormous sculpture of found items, Christ of the Rubbish, which makes sense once you take a few steps back. The tour ends among Pirelli tire ads and a pink-lipped sofa at the phallic-shaped swimming pool, scene of the couple’s notorious orgies. While Gala was an enthusiastic participant, Dalí preferred to watch. Tip: book ahead online and be sure to arrive on time for your slot.
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