Dalí Theatre and Museum

The Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueres, Catalonia, is a museum created by Salvador Dalí on the site of the town’s old theatre; it opened in 1974. The museum was conceived and arranged by Dalí as a single immersive retrospective and contains works spanning his career.

Visitors move through theatrical galleries, installations and painted spaces that combine canvases, sculptures and stage-like presentations; many pieces were designed or reworked by Dalí specifically for the museum. The museum also contains notable installations and iconic works from across his output, making it a concentrated survey of his surrealist practice.

Dalí took an active role in founding and arranging the museum during the 1960s and early 1970s, transforming the ruined theatre into a purpose-built art space; it opened in June 1974 and has since been expanded and conserved. Dalí’s ashes are interred in a crypt beneath the museum, reflecting his intention that Figueres would be the centre of his artistic legacy.

The museum is in the town of Figueres in the province of Girona, about 140 kilometres north of Barcelona and within the Catalonia region’s inland plain.

• Founding and opening: Salvador Dalí personally curated the museum and it opened in 1974 on the remains of Figueres' municipal theatre; the building itself is part of the artist's work.

What to See #

• Galleries and stage area: The original theatre-turned-museum galleries where Dalí arranged works and stage sets to create a single immersive experience that blends paintings, sculptures and installations.
• Dalí's crypt: A small crypt housing Salvador Dalí's remains, located beneath the main exhibition spaces and accessible to visitors as part of the museum layout.