| Spain, with its myriad of influences and epic history, is a | | | | itself - the "Mae West Room", the "Wind Palace |
| country with a diverse gamut of sights and sounds to | | | | Room" and the "Monument to Francesc Pujols and the |
| offer its 45 million tourists who visit every year. An | | | | Rainy Cadillac" are larger than life and superb |
| area where this can be seen in particular is in its | | | | examples of Dali's fertile imagination. |
| museums and galleries, a rich history of art and culture | | | | Reina Sofia, Madrid |
| has left Spain a huge legacy in this department with | | | | One of Madrid's most celebrated museums, the Reina |
| names such as Dali, Picasso and Miro leading the list: | | | | Sofia houses a huge collection of contemporary art. |
| Guggenheim, Bilbao: | | | | Once the city's San Carlos hospital, the museum was |
| Now one of the most easily recognised buildings in | | | | originally founded in 1986 but underwent a serious |
| Europe, the Guggenheim in Bilbao is a work of art itself. | | | | revamp in 1990 at the hands of British architect, Ian |
| Opened in 1997 and designed by American architect | | | | Ritchie. They envisioned creating something to rival the |
| Frank O. Gehry, the museum has been a lynchpin for | | | | Tate in London and the Pompidou centre in Paris, and, |
| the city's redevelopment programme and in many | | | | with 36,000 sqm of exhibition space, it's one of the |
| ways the museum symbolises the new, modern Bilbao. | | | | world's largest museums and an extremely impressive |
| Standing right in the city centre alongside the river the | | | | place. The most famous painting housed there is |
| museum offers 11,000 sqm of exhibition space over | | | | undoubtedly Picasso's Guernica, an immense cubist |
| three galleries. The museum has a body of permanent | | | | work and war protest and probably the great painter's |
| work always on display as well as large exhibitions | | | | most famous work. Visitors can also see the many |
| which run for months at a time. Currently on View is | | | | preliminary sketches that he made for the work. Other |
| the "Aztec Empire" comprising of a huge body of | | | | great Spanish artists on display are Dali, Miro and |
| work from the pre-columbian civilization. Previous | | | | Orteiz to name but a few as well as Spain's most |
| exhibitions have encompassed an eclectic blend of art | | | | important artists of the last 20 years. |
| with work from the likes of Matisse, Michelangelo, | | | | Fundacio Joan Miro, Barcelona |
| Reubens and Warhol having graced its corridors. | | | | One of Spain's most important artists and often |
| Dali Theatre-Museum, Figueres | | | | overlooked due to the lure of Picasso and Dali, the |
| Located in Figueres, the Dali Theatre-Museum is the | | | | Fundacio Joan Miro in the Montjuic area of Barcelona |
| broadest collection of his work in the world tracing his | | | | is well worth a visit. Spacious and set in its own |
| first artistic forays, the surrealist period and even | | | | grounds, the museum is a step away from the regular |
| including some of the last works painted before his | | | | metropolitan museums and galleries - the white building |
| death. Figueres also happens to be Dali's hometown | | | | built around an internal courtyard is typically |
| and the decision to build the museum from the ruins of | | | | Mediterranean. Huge amounts of natural light help to |
| the town's Spanish civil war-damaged theatre, didn't | | | | bring Miro's surrealist works to life and the museum |
| seem like a difficult one. Indeed, it was here as a boy | | | | also houses some of his sculptures and ceramic |
| where Dali first had the chance to display his work so | | | | works as well as the paintings he's more famous for. |
| is a fitting place to exhibit the cream of his life's work. | | | | The museum also has a permanent exhibition space in |
| Dali himself supervised the building and creation of the | | | | which the foundation gives special attention to Spain's |
| museum turning it into a huge surrealist playground. Dali | | | | more experimental artists - not everyone's cup of tea, |
| also created some works specifically for the museum | | | | granted, but worth a look if you're visiting the museum. |