This might come as a surprise, but the Spanish surrealist legend Salvador Dalí now has a museum fully dedicated to his oeuvre in the city of Monterey, California. Called Dali17, the private museum opened its doors to the public on July 8.
“Why Monterey?”, you might wonder. Well, Dalí lived in the Californian city for over seven years, fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe. He resided mainly at the Del Monte Lodge (now the Lodge at Pebble Beach), where, in typical Dalí style, he worked on his art while throwing fabulous parties for A-list guests including Walt Disney, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Andy Warhol. The hotel was located on 17 Mile Drive, hence the museum’s name.
Dali17 is situated in what used to be the Museum of Monterey, and now houses the second largest private collection in the US of Salvador Dalí . The collection has been amassed since the 1980s by real estate mogul Dmitry Piterman, an international entrepreneur, art collector, soccer executive, and professional athlete, the Californian reports.
The collection comprises 580 etchings, lithographs, and sculptures by the artist, and is the first permanent Dalí exhibition on the West Coast. There is another museum dedicated to the painter in the US, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“This is special for me because this exhibition has been shown in Spain and in Belgium but to have it in Monterey is a special place,” Piterman told the Californian.
“This commemorates Dalí as a great artist. We hope the community enjoys it. Because he was a Spaniard, this is also very important for our Latin community. He’s a great role model for kids and adults,” he added.