St. Petersburg, aka "St. Pete", has miles of waterfront and millions of $ of improvements. One of its showpieces on the waterfront is the Salvador Dali Museum dedicated to one of the 20th century's best-known artists.
Salvador Dali Museum
Families with older kids should seize the chance to visit the Salvador Dali Museum, the world's top collection of the works of this artist who succeeded perhaps too well at celebrity: Dali became more known for eccentricity than for art, but even a brief visit to this St. Petersburg museum will remind you sharply of his genius.
The Salvador Dali Museum has a waterfront location in St. Petersburg, in a stylish building, with deceptively muted shades. Inside, the Salvador Dali Museum explodes with giant canvases and surreal imagery. Not surprisingly, the museum also has a unique gift shop: how about Dali martini glasses? You can order many unique gifts online.
The first thing kids will enjoy at the Salvador Dali Museum are Dali's double-image visual tricks: look at a picture one way, and see two ladies in long dresses; blink, and see the head of a philosopher instead. Dali's surreal melted watches will impress too.
These pictures, however, are soon dwarfed by the masterworks: giant canvases, including the monumental Discovery of America. Perhaps even more stunning is the Hallucinogenic Toreador, inspired by a box of Venus de Milo colored pencils: repeated Venuses are also repeated faces of a Toreador; there are visual tricks all over the canvas, so be sure to catch a (free) tour with a museum docent.
As Dali wrote to his friend Timothy Leary: "Why do you need LSD, when you have Salvador Dali?"
More about the Salvador Dali Museum:
- Salvador Dali Museumsite: good introduction about Dali's life and works.
Other fine museums in St. Petersburg:
-back to: St. Pete / Clearwater Beach
*photo (c) Teresa Plowright.
