DALI MUSEUM, ST. PETE'S WATERFRONT WONDER

It all started with two newlyweds purchasing a belated wedding gift for each other – Salvador Dali’s, Daddy Longlegs of the Evening – Hope.

Reminds me of a box of crayons years ago my girls left out in sun.

Four decades, thousands of Dali’s, and millions of dollars later it was time to pay the piper.  The estate tax man cometh!  

Thus was born a phenomenal legacy! 

The year was 1980.  The legacy, one of the largest charitable donations in the history of the art world, consisted of 93 oil paintings, 150 watercolors and drawings, and almost 1,000 prints and objects, all works of Salvador Dali, unquestionably one of the greatest artists of the 20th century (see yesterday’s post); all gifts to the City of St. Petersburg, Florida from A. Reynolds Morse and Eleanor Reese Morse. 

Salvador Dali, Reynolds and Eleanor, circa 1948. Dali Museum Archives.

It was a love story of epic proportions, at least culturally speaking.  The newlyweds fell in love with Salvador Dali’s remarkably crafted work.  They met the master in 1943 and bought their first painting; became life-long friends (the couple traveled to Paris and Rome with Dali and his wife Gala and were frequent guests in their home in Figueras, Spain) and generous fans of this prolific and versatile artist.   But I digress.

Fast forward a few more decades (yes, I’m doing a lot of time travel today; after all, this is a travel blog!), past that first plain, thick-walled marine equipment warehouse turned museum; past the loss of St. Petersburg’s wealthy benefactors; in fact, march right past the 20th century into the new millennium, right up to 1-11-11 at 1:11 am (a nod to Dali’s love of mathematics, perhaps?), to the grand opening of one of the world’s preeminent museums. 

Looks a bit like a scaly alien coiled around the building.

We didn’t make it to the grand opening (too early in the morning for me), but Jimmy and I, along with good friends Joan and Jerry, arrived fashionably late just last month, on 1-25-14 at 9:56 am.  Okay, so our stars weren’t aligned.    

I was still star struck!

Remember, art is what you can get away with. So says Andy Warhol.

Yep, that was Andy Warhol; in the flesh (you think?), no doubt promoting his Exhibit at the Dali Museum. 

Talk about friends in high places!

Andy was all over the place, probably looking for yet another 15 minutes of fame. 

I think Andy likes Andy.

He's everywhere, he's everywhere.

There was no eclipsing the star quality of St. Pete’s newest draw (200,000 visitors a year, many from around the world; a collection that feeds approximately $50 million annually into the local economy), a museum to match the genius of the main attraction, thanks to the mastermind behind this gem, internationally recognized architect Yann Weymouth. 

“Our challenge was to discover how to resolve the technical requirements of the museum and site in a way that expresses the dynamism of the great art movement that he [Dali] led.  It is important that the building speak to the surreal without being trite.”

Think 15-times-15 years of fame for team Weymouth’s accomplishment! 

I wandered for 15 minutes (I kid you not) outside this huge “treasure box,” taking in the geodesic glass “Enigma” that came with a companion “Igloo.”  Both additions to Weymouth’s creation adorn this 58-foot tall box like a glittering piece of jewelry, catching and reflecting the sunlight, adding a little bling and a lot of mystery to an otherwise drab package.  

FYI – one of Dali’s paintings is named, Enigma.  There are layers upon layers of nods to what intrigued and inspired the master behind this waterfront wonder.

Did you notice the melting bench and clock in the foreground? I didn't think it was that hot outside!

For example, there’s really no mystery as to why all 1,062 unique, triangular glass panels were part of the Dali Museum when you know Dali’s work.  Aside from Dali being a fan of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic geometry, all that glass bling (its overall free-flowing form is the first of its kind in the United States)

bears a striking resemblance to one of the triumphant masterpieces of Dali’s lifetime of work, Santiago El Grande (1957).  The painting pays a spectacular tribute to the Apostle St. James, the patron saint of Spain.  

That's Dali on the horse; his wife Gala the woman in the bottom right.

Impressive, to say the least! 

But there’s MORE!

Soaring three stories up into the sky beneath that one-of-a-kind geodesic dome was a poured-in-place concrete spiral staircase as stunning as it was unexpected.  The helical staircase is an allusion to Dali’s fascination with all of nature’s spiral forms and to that of the double helix of DNA.

Hope you don't have a fear of heights.

Needless to say, this remarkable, man-made beauty required a picture from every angle. 

Feeling dizzy yet?

What goes up, must come down.

I so like curls.

The sky's the limit.

I don’t need my dreams for inspiration with everything the Dali Museum has to offer. 

This remarkable fortress, designed to withstand the 165-mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane, is a fitting and phenomenal backdrop for the priceless Dali collection wisely housed on the third floor, above the flood-plain, above the possibility of a 30-foot-high storm surge.  

Least you think the geodesic geometry is a reckless design element given the propensity for Florida’s bad weather, consider this: the triangulated glass panels are one-and-a-half inches thick, insulated and laminated and designed to resist the 135 mph winds, driven rain and missile impacts of a Category 3 hurricane. 

I know; it all blew me away, too, especially Dali's art! 

Apparatus and Hand, 1927.

All because two people fell in love! 

Still Life - Fast Moving, 1956. I like a man with a sense of humor.

Thank you Reynolds and Eleanor Morse.

And thank you St. Petersburg! 

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THE BOTTOM LINE ON ST. PETE’S DALI MUSEUM

Verdict:  Surreal is the best way to sum up St. Petersburg’s masterpiece in honor of the master.  Based on my experience, and AOL Travel News, St. Pete’s Dali Museum is indeed one of the top buildings to see in your lifetime. 

A general admission ticket will set you back $21; over 65, $19; children 13-17 and 18-year-olds with student ID, $15; children 6-12, $13, children under 5 free. 

Obviously it doesn't take much for me and Joan to find fun.

How to Get There:  From Tampa, take I-275 southbound across the Howard Frankland Bridge to St. Petersburg. Take exit #22 (I-175 E) towards Tropicana Field Follow I-175 until end, turns into Dali Blvd (aka: 5th Ave S) Dali Museum will be on your left after 4th light.

From Clearwater, take U.S. 19 southbound and follow to 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg. Take a left onto 1st Avenue South. Follow 1st Ave S to 4th Street South. Take a right onto 4th Street South. Follow 4th St S to Dali Blvd (aka: 5th Ave S) Take a left onto Dali Blvd (aka: 5th Ave S) Dali Museum will be on your left after 3rd light.

From Sarasota, take I-75 N to I-275 northbound across the Sunshine Skyway (toll cost $1.25) to St. Petersburg. Take exit #22 (I-175 E) towards Tropicana Field Follow I-175 until end, turns into Dali Blvd (aka: 5th Ave S) Dali Museum will be on your left after 4th light.

Insider Information:  The City of St. Petersburg offers Dali Hotel Packages in the Bay Area that include Salvador Dali Hospitality tickets to the Museum.  Check the Dali Museum website for specific offers.

There was obviously a chance of showers the day we visited the museum.

Nearby Food:  The Museum offers a menu of light fare with a Spanish theme at the Café Gala (named in honor of Dali’s wife) tucked beneath the geodesic dome adjacent to the spiral staircase.   

Hungry, anyone?

We were too hungry for the tapas, soups, salads and sandwiches offered.  We scooted across the street to The Hanger, a restaurant for the flyboys who like to come and go via St. Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Municipal Airport.

Incoming.

Here’s another peek at the picture that got it all rolling for Reynolds and Eleanor Morse and ultimately for the City of St. Petersburg.   

Did you spot daddy longlegs?

That’s a gelatinous Dali draped over the tree limb, hanging on to an equally gelatinous cello now mute in the wake of the horrors of war depicted (can you see the airplane oozing out of the cannon?).   There’s lots more going on (ants crawling on Dali’s face just below the daddy longlegs; a sculpture of Nike, the Greek Winged Goddess of Victory rising in bandages from the deflated plane; a winged child shielding his eyes even as he points to the horrors of war), but who am I to spoil your version of Dali's attempt to revolutionize the human experience. 

I’d have to admit, my first experience with Salvador Dali (yes, I was a cultural misfit for my first sixty years) left me convinced the artist was quite mad.  To quote Dali, “There is only one difference between a madman and me.  The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.” 

Who's to say what's genius and what's insanity.