Dalí Paris

From the outside, Dalí Paris — the Dalí museum and gallery in a quiet side street off the main drag of Montmartre’s Place du Tertre — looks too tiny to be worth the effort, but once inside, I was amazed by the space. Quite surreal!

Heading downstairs, the open space becomes a maze with some rare surrealist sculptures by Dalí on display. A “Space Elephant, a long-legged creature with an elongated pyramid on its back, stands tall to greet you. Variants of the “Persistence of Memory,” the theme of the melted clock, bring one of the artist’s most famous paintings out from the frame.

Along with the sculptures, the exhibition space also includes a collection of photographs, glass works, prints, etchings, drawings, and paintings, some more disturbing than others, all intriguing and so indubitably Dalí.

Videos complete the collection, one in particular catching my eye. A collaboration with Walt Disney which never came to fruition, Destino, in which the typical Disney meets the typical Dalí, making for a stunning short film. There’s also a look at his obsession with his wife Gala.

At one point the museum turns into a gallery, and I realized that the pictures on the wall were actually for sale! The prices for an original Dalí are surprisingly low, so I chose a favorite and have started saving up.

Passing by some of Dalí’s quotes displayed on the way back upstairs towards the exit, Dalí was strange, and perhaps a bit boasting, but there’s no doubt as to his genius. I’ll leave you off with a citation from the artist himself, “There’s always a time in their lives when people realize they adore me.” If you want to reaffirm your love for Dalí, this is where to do it.