Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 19 June 2018
More than melting watches: Spain's Salvador Dali Triangle

By DANA SCHIMMEL ter draftsman he was, and
Associated Press it was good to see several
FIGUERES, Spain (AP) — If paintings with the familiar
the name Salvador Dali watch that was one of Da-
conjures images of melt- li's most famous motifs.
ing watches and one con- By the time you wend your
spicuous mustache but not way through the entire mu-
much else, then a visit to seum, perhaps stopping to
Spain's "Dali Triangle" will pay your respects at Dali's
not only make for a fan- tomb — famously exhumed
tastic road trip, it will show in 2017 to settle a paternity
that there's so much more claim (disproven) — you'll
to the renowned surrealist's have seen so much that
work. you may feel slightly over-
Dali's homes, converted whelmed. But do not skip
to museums, are located the adjacent Dali Jewels
along the Costa Brava, a museum! Visiting this dimly
nearly 100-mile (160-kilo- lit, cave-like gallery space
meter) stretch of rugged housing 39 jeweled cre-
coastline in northeastern ations is like walking into a
Catalonia. Plan a leisurely pirate's treasure chest.
drive with stops in Pubol, If I could choose one piece
Figueres and Portlligat — for my personal collection,
the three points of the tri- I'd go with either "Ruby Lips,"
angle — to experience the in 18-karat gold with over
museums, Dali's art and In this July 21, 2017, file photo, visitors stand near the tomb of Salvador Dali inside Dali Museum 100 rubies and 13 white
the stunning natural scen- Theatre in Figueres, Spain. pearls for teeth, or "Tele-
ery that helped shape and Associated Press phone Ear Clips," made of
inspire one of the world's gold, diamonds, rubies and
most iconic artists. Gala's burnt-orange Dat- north of Pubol. You'll know that it wouldn't be a bad emeralds. They are sublime
PUBOL: GALA DALI CASTLE sun car parked outside on you've arrived when you idea to hang a little sign and playful, but not silly.
MUSEUM a pebble driveway. Then spot either a giant transpar- saying, "Enter at your own "I am pleased if my jeweled
Dali purchased a medieval there's this eccentric arti- ent geodesic dome or a risk." Dali's drawings re- telephone earrings bring a
castle in the village of Pu- fact: Dali's beloved white collection of massive eggs minded me what a mas- smile," Dali said. q
bol for his wife Elena Iva- horse, taxidermied, stand- atop a building. That, of
novna Diakonova, better ing near the museum's rest- course, is the Dali Theatre-
known as Gala. The couple rooms. Museum, which the artist
transformed the structure, The top floor displays a designed from the burnt re-
built on the remains of a collection of Gala's cou- mains of the town's Munici-
14th century stone castle, ture gowns. The basement pal Theatre.
into a home where Gala houses her final resting If it weren't for the steady
could both reign and re- place: She is enshrined in a flow of museum visitors pro-
lax. Her husband was only mausoleum watched over pelling you along the one-
permitted to visit by written by a tall toy giraffe, surpris- way galleries, you could
invitation. ingly more touching than spend hours, days or forev-
Many works of art — includ- trite. er observing and analyzing
ing paintings Dali gifted his FIGUERES: DALI THEATRE- some 1,500 works of art by
wife — are on display along MUSEUM AND DALI JEWELS Dali — paintings, drawings,
with personal items ranging Figueres, named for its sculptures, engravings,
from monogrammed silver once-abundant fig trees, is installations, holograms,
flatware, seen in a half- a bustling small town about stereoscopic images and
opened kitchen drawer, to 25 miles (40 kilometers) photographs.
Some works will make you
smile, like the fire engine-
red "Mae West Lips Sofa,"
a couch-sized sculpture in-
spired by the actress' lips.
And there's "Rainy Taxi,"
which for the price of one
euro, will rain inside itself,
soaking its mannequin pas-
sengers and the plants and
snails along for the prover-
bial ride.
Other works are quietly
beautiful, like the early oil
portrait of Dali's sister, Anna
Maria, gazing out a win-
dow at the sea and cliffs in This Aug. 14, 1979, file photo, shows Spanish surrealist painter
This Oct. 18, 1984, file photo, shows Spanish painter Salvador Da- Cadaques. But some paint- Salvador Dali on at his home in Port Lligat on the Costa Brava,
li's mansion in Figueras, Spain, where he was living at the time. ings are so violent, maca- Spain.
Associated Press Associated Press
bre, intense and complex