Where's Wendy? The Dali Museum!!

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing ~Salvador Dali~

As an Art History Student it is only normal that I would be going to several Museums of Art this semester... About a month ago I got to visit the New Dali Museum, I enjoyed it the first time I went to the old museum and enjoyed it even more this time around. They have added a a very nice gift shop, and cafe' which cover the entire downstairs except for ticket desks. The museum is much larger with a very artistic stair case leading to the galleries. The galleries are well laid out with an audio presentation which I recommend. You receive a cassette tape with headphones and the works are set up by numbers so you can listen to the audio and learn about the piece you are standing right in front of.


I did have a few dislikes about the New Dali Museum... First of all you were not allowed to take photographs in the gallery. Understandable... However, as a student, if you have to write an essay on your most favorite piece and your least favored piece it makes it more difficult to do so. Now you have to go look up the work on line and hope you find a decent printable size to include in your essay. Furthermore the museum was too crowded... because we were with a class, and there were other customers at the museum it was too jam-packed to really enjoy it. We were appointed a tour guide who was suppose to be telling us about each piece as we went around the galleries. The problem was... we couldn't hear the tour guide unless we were front and center. Maybe she should have used some type of microphone to ensure that all of us could learn about Dali's art. Thirdly... while the price of the museum visit isn't bad if you're a student, the regular price is a bit steep. And the gift shop prices seem a bit outrageous... but I'm sure that is how they are paying for their New State of the Art Museum on Dali Blvd.

On the other hand there were some very nice things about the museum that as I said before was thoroughly enjoyable. Dali is a surrealist, and his art is in my opinion absolutely breathtaking! Viewing the man himself is a work of art... from his mustache to his clothing, and the expressions of his face, you can tell that this was surely an eccentric being! I loved that the gift shop held many items that replicated Dali's work, from prints, to ash trays, to screen printed clothing, and everything in between... the choices were phenomenal! The cafe' gives the museum a sense of belonging, a place to fall into the art world, a place to relax, and a place to create while being inspired. Finally and importantly I found that all of the employee's at the museum were friendly and informative whenever I had a question. I like that everyone of them at different times didn't have trouble answering anything that I needed to know.

I say go visit the New Dali Museum! Maybe a call ahead of time will help figure out a day when they are not too busy so you can really enjoy your stay! Get the tape and headphones so you can fall into the mans art and get a great understanding of his work, his life, and his thoughts. I am certainly going to go back and will hopefully enjoy myself more than I did this time!

Good Luck!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

Video captured with the Flip video recorder.