The Salvador Dali Museum

There are countless artistic treasures hidden in unassuming spots around the world, just waiting to be discovered. The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida undoubtedly qualifies as an archetypal example of one. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, supporters and close friends of the late father of surrealism, moved their collection from Cleveland, Ohio to Florida in the 1980s. The original 80s-era museum opened in 1982 and housed their expanding grouping of surrealist works until 2011, when a new space was completed. The current museum, designed by Yann Weymouth, the architect who assisted I.M. Pei in creating the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid, houses the largest collection of Dali’s in the world other than the Dali Theater-Museum, which the late artist created himself in his home town of Figueres, Spain. The surrealist structure boasts over 1,000 glass triangles protruding from its concrete façade and an interior spiraling staircase, welcoming visitors up to the main exhibition galleries. The museum’s comprehensive collection of over 2,000 pieces includes oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, sculptures and jewelry, as well as 7 of 18 masterworks that Dali painted in his lifetime; to be considered a masterwork, the painting must measure at least 5 feet in any one of its dimensions. Along with the permanent collection galleries, the museum arranges temporary exhibitions centered around Dali’s prolific career, from his work with close friend and collaborator Elsa Schiaparelli, to an upcoming show on Dalí and Duchamp, opening on February 10th. An absolute must go for anyone in Florida yearning for some culture.