Barcelona through Dalí's eyes: New exhibition explores the artist's love for the city

When people think of the Catalan artist Salvador Dalí, the names that come to mind are often Figueres, his birthplace and home to his main museum, and Cadaqués, where he found inspiration in his iconic house at Portlligat. 

However, his connection to Barcelona has often been overshadowed. The city played a significant role in his life: his mother was born in Barcelona, and his father grew up there. It was also in Barcelona where Dalí held his first solo exhibition. 

When the artist fled to Paris in 1936 to escape the Spanish Civil War, he became one of the key international champions of Barcelona’s modernism, particularly the work of Antoni Gaudí. 

After Paris, Dalí moved to Italy and then, in 1940, to the United States, where he rose to international stardom. Upon his return to Catalonia in 1948, his ties with Barcelona deepened.

Dalí was welcomed as a celebrity in Barcelona, staying in luxury hotels, dining at the finest restaurants, and enjoying visits to the zoo and evenings at flamenco tablaos. 

Now, a new exhibition at Barcelona's Museu Diocesà sheds light on Dalí's relationship with the city. Through 120 photographs, the exhibition maps out the spaces across Barcelona that were connected to the life of the surrealist genious. Here are our top picks.  

Hotels, restaurants and luxury 

When Dalí came to Barcelona, he stayed at the city's finest hotel: The Ritz. Inaugurated in 1919, it remained the best hotel in Barcelona until the 1960s. Upon returning from exile in 1948, Dalí and his wife, Gala, always chose to stay at the hotel. 

They consistently occupied suite 108, the hotel’s finest room, which had also been frequented by celebrities like Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, Anthony Quinn, and John Wayne. 

Dalí transformed the suite into the most surrealist space in the city, inviting many guests and hosting happenings, performances by contortionists, and displays featuring dissected horses, among other events. 

The surrealist genius was also very fond of luxurious restaurants. He adored everything associated with nobility and royalty while rejecting anything considered bourgeois.

Dalí appreciated traditional Catalan cuisine as well as the finest French dining. This is why he often frequented places like El Canari de la Garriga and Los Caracoles, but especially the restaurant Via Veneto, which specialized in haute cuisine and was the first in Catalonia to earn a Michelin star. 

Bullfights and the Zoo 

Dalí's obsession with animals -whether alive or dead- is well known. This passion started in his childhood, when he frequently visited the zoo, and in adulthood, he became a regular at the Barcelona Zoo, located in Ciutadella Park, especially during its revival between 1956 and 1964. 

At the zoo, Dalí once staged a happening with rhinos, having it leave its footprints on a clay mold. He was also photographed with the legendary albino gorilla, Snowflake.

Dalí developed a love for bullfighting while living in Madrid. His friends Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca had close connections with some of the most prestigious bullfighters, which led Dalí to become a fan as well.

In the 1950s and 60s, Barcelona hosted numerous bullfights in its two arenas: La Monumental and Las Arenas. Dalí attended frequently, especially during the La Mercè festivities, where he never missed a single event.

Antoni Gaudí's masterpieces 

Dalí was a true enthusiast of the work of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. In fact, at a time when Modernism was viewed as an ugly and inappropriate style, Dalí was one of the first to champion it.

The surrealist genius never stopped promoting Catalan Modernism worldwide, spending nearly two decades doing so almost single-handedly.

La Pedrera was the Gaudí site where Dalí was photographed the most, but he was also often seen at the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and Casa Batlló, places where he hosted events and presentations, always expressing his deep admiration for these masterpieces. 

To learn more about the relationship between Dalí and Gaudí, you can visit the exhibition at the Museu Diocesà de Barcelona, open until December 1. And for more on Dalí's life, listen to the episode of our podcast, Filling the Sink.