Spain is a destination for holidays. You'll find much more than your typical holiday antics here, as the Catalonia region is charged in naturally beauty and is not ridiculously big in size.
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was an eccentric artist with a very famous moustache who resided in Figueres in Catalonia. The town is a homage to him and his work, so those travelling to the area might like to find out a little more about him before arriving. but even if his work isn't quite to your taste, there is plenty more to do.
Dali returned to Catalonia in 1949, after spending years in Madrid studying and travelling across America and France. He spent a lot of time with Picasso, which had a heavy influence on the way Dali reacted to art. The repeated bombings during the Spanish Civil War devastated Figueres, and the town entered recovery in the 1950s. Ten years later Dali began what would ultimately be the biggest challenge of his life; the town theatre was one of the buildings destroyed and after decades of standing as nothing but ruins, Dali and the mayor of Figueres began the project of rebuilding it as a museum dedicated to the artist. It was, after all, the venue of his first public exhibition.
1974 saw the re-opening of the old theatre as The Dali Theatre and Museum, containing the largest and most diverse collection of his work, including not only paintings but also sculptures, collages, short films, furniture and various other offerings from his strange and wild imagination. It is here, in the basement crypt of the museum that he rebuilt from ruins in his hometown, where Dali was buried after his death of heart failure aged 84.
It's worth bearing in mind that the museum gets very busy, so visitors should arrive early (it opens at 10:30am except in July-September when the doors open at 9am) and be prepared to queue. Anyone not wishing to wait might want to consider visiting the Museu de L'Emporada, a museum of archaeology and art - including Dali - and try again another day. Holidays are much more than your average holiday. You learn a great deal about a fascinating man who really did leave his mark
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was an eccentric artist with a very famous moustache who resided in Figueres in Catalonia. The town is a homage to him and his work, so those travelling to the area might like to find out a little more about him before arriving. but even if his work isn't quite to your taste, there is plenty more to do.
Dali returned to Catalonia in 1949, after spending years in Madrid studying and travelling across America and France. He spent a lot of time with Picasso, which had a heavy influence on the way Dali reacted to art. The repeated bombings during the Spanish Civil War devastated Figueres, and the town entered recovery in the 1950s. Ten years later Dali began what would ultimately be the biggest challenge of his life; the town theatre was one of the buildings destroyed and after decades of standing as nothing but ruins, Dali and the mayor of Figueres began the project of rebuilding it as a museum dedicated to the artist. It was, after all, the venue of his first public exhibition.
1974 saw the re-opening of the old theatre as The Dali Theatre and Museum, containing the largest and most diverse collection of his work, including not only paintings but also sculptures, collages, short films, furniture and various other offerings from his strange and wild imagination. It is here, in the basement crypt of the museum that he rebuilt from ruins in his hometown, where Dali was buried after his death of heart failure aged 84.
It's worth bearing in mind that the museum gets very busy, so visitors should arrive early (it opens at 10:30am except in July-September when the doors open at 9am) and be prepared to queue. Anyone not wishing to wait might want to consider visiting the Museu de L'Emporada, a museum of archaeology and art - including Dali - and try again another day. Holidays are much more than your average holiday. You learn a great deal about a fascinating man who really did leave his mark
About the Author:
Chris Brown is a travel journalist based in London who writes articles on top hotels, cruises and destinations. For more information on late holidays in Spain please visit My Travel.com
