Dali's Spain - Surreally Lovely

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4 JUNE 2004
The Dalí triangle
Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore Dali’s contribution to Catalonia. His aptly named Theatre-Museum at Figueres is the fourth most-visited attraction in Spain (the first three are Madrid’s Prado, and Barcelona’s Picasso Museum and Nou Camp football stadium) and, with giant eggs on its roof, it’s hard to miss. Inside you’ll find Cadillacs that rain, jokey mirrors, and sofas that represent Mae West’s lips with twin fireplaces as her nostrils. Look carefully at the background of his paintings and you may recognise his beloved Catalonia.

The southernmost point of the Dali triangle, Púbol Castle was bought by Dalí in 1968 for his wife Gala, who lived there until her death and is buried in the basement. The castle now houses a collection of clothes and other objects, as well as trompe l’oeil radiators and artworks including a concrete elephant on mosquito legs in the garden. Don’t try to make sense of it all, just go with the flow.

On the striking Cap de Creus headland at Portlligat close to Cadaques, where Dali spent many happy days as a boy and later lived in a series of fishermen’s cottages he knocked together, you can see his studio and many other eccentricities. A statue of him stands on the beach. For Dali this bit of coast was the most beautiful place on earth – which can’t be a bad recommendation. Salvador Dali bought and renovated this 14th-century castle in Pubol for his wife Gala Today Gala's restreat is a museum housing many of her husband's works, including this surreal elephant sculpture