Today marks the 118th anniversary of the birth of Salvador Dalí in a house on Carrer Monturiol in Figueres, which is expected to open to the public at the end of next year as a complement to the Theatre-Museum and the Dalí route. Dalí continues to be a benchmark and the data provided yesterday by the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí show the recovery in the number of visitors. Also of the pending projects, such as the great exhibition on El Cristo de Portlligat, based on the loan that the Glasgow Museum will make, rescheduled for autumn 2023. The exhibition will be accompanied by an exhaustive work by the Center for Dalinian Studies and the department of restoration.

76,000 visitors

Jordi Mercader, president of the Dalí Foundation, reported yesterday that during the first quarter of 2022, 76,030 people have visited the three museums in Figueres, Portlligat and Púbol. That represents 60% of what he received before the pandemic during the same period. In 2021 it closed with a surplus of 821,000 euros, while 2020 registered losses of 3 million. These benefits are due in part to the reduction in spending (from 12.3 million in 2019 to 6.7 in 2021). The foundation has announced an internal reorganization with Fèlix Roca, as general director, Leonora Aixas, commercial director, and Carme Ruiz, deputy director of exhibitions and collections, and the documentary donation of the architect Oriol Clos, responsible for the rehabilitation of the house-museums of Portlligat and Púbol.

a new movie

Dalinian news is also marked by a film that will not be released until the end of the year. Last week the filming of: The Angelus Case finished. Dalí's Fascination, directed by and starring Joan Frank Charansonnet (who dedicates it to the Dalinian expert Joan Francesc Burgas) and with Carme Alcoverro as Gala. It was produced by Patchouli Films (Víctor Perxachs), associated with Vivir Rodando and Thomas Spieker. And to celebrate, they threw a party at the Amar restaurant, run by Rafa Zafram, from the Palace (former Ritz) in Barcelona.

works auctions

Few of Dalí's works come up for auction. Last year the most relevant were Sewing machine with umbrellas in a surreal landscape (1941, sold for 2.5 million, and Cosmic Madonna (1958), which a private individual put up for sale for an astronomical price without stating if he found a buyer. But less valuable works often appear, such as the stained gown with which Dalí painted two oil paintings for an Iberia DC-10 in 1966. It sells for 4,000 euros.