St. Petersburg, Florida, aka "St. Pete", is a popular destination for families because of its many beautiful beach areas. Families can also take advantage of the opportunity to visit the fascinating Salvador Dali Museum dedicated to one of the 20th century's best-known and must unusual 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 of his genius.
The Salvador Dali Museum doubled in size in 2011 with a move to a new location on the downtown bayfront overlooking Tampa Bay. The Museum has the largest Dali Collection outside of Spain. Of special note -- and sure to dazzle kids and adults alike-- are the giant canvases and surreal imagery.
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 -- a signature image of Dali-- 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 figures of the goddess Venus are also repeated faces of a toreador; there are visual tricks all over the canvas, so be sure to take one of the free tours tour with a museum docent so you can learn what to look for and discover in these giant paintings.
As Dali wrote to his friend Timothy Leary: "Why do you need LSD, when you have Salvador Dali?"
More about the Salvador Dali Museum:
The Salvador Dali Museum website includes an introduction to Dali's life and works.
By the way, be sure to allow some time for the Museum's unique gift shop. (Many of its items can also be viewed and bought online.)
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