Dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí, the Dalí Museum along St. Petersburg's waterfront houses the world's most comprehensive collection of Dalí's art outside of Spain. Housed in a strikingly modern building designed to mirror the creativity and innovation of Dalí's art, the structure is as impressive as the masterpieces displayed inside. One of the architectural elements is called the 'Glass Enigma' and is composed of 1,062 glass triangles that are visible from the outside. On the inside, a free-standing spiral staircase dominates the entrance, and it is striking.
On view until April 19, 2026, 'Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí: Through & Beyond Surrealism' is a special collaboration between The Dalí Museum and Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti in Paris, and includes paintings, sculptures and archival materials, and displayed alongside works by Salvador Dalí from The Dalí Museum’s collection, they illuminate the surprising similarities in the artists’ visions, despite their distinct stylistic approaches.
While Dalí and Giacometti are often seen as separate figures within the Surrealist movement, the Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí exhibit delves into a lesser-known artistic dialogue between the two that began in the 1930s. Though their paths diverged in many ways, both artists shared a deep exploration of surrealism, the subconscious and the human form—key themes that define their lasting legacies. The exhibition traces the friendship, collaboration and kindred experimentation of Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti, who together helped define Surrealism as a visual art.
In addition to the special exhibition, is the remarkable virtual reality experience of 'Dreams of Dali', as one explores Salvador Dalí’s painting Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus.” Immersing oneself in the world of the Surrealist master like never before in this encounter — venturing into the towers, peering from them to distant lands and discovering surprises around every corner. We imagine Dalí himself, known in his lifetime as what we now call an “earlier adopter” of new technology, would applaud this inspiring homage to his 1935 painting. This award-winning VR experience has garnered visitor acclaim, online praise and international recognition through a multitude of industry awards, it is impossible to leave the Dali Museum without experiencing this spellbinding virtual reality experience.
Nestled on the main floor of the museum, Café Gala is designed to create an educational as well as culinary experience by introducing visitors to Spanish food and history. Named in honor of Salvador Dalí’s wife, Gala, the café embraces the heritage of Salvador Dalí by presenting a menu of light fare with a Spanish theme. Chef Chuck Bandel created the space where art and food collide, and our tapas style lunch was unexpected and utterly delicious.
The iconic spiral staircase inside the Dali Museum
that we arrived specifically to see
with tall bronze of 'Annette Standing' by Giacometti, 1964
exploring Salvador Dalí’s painting Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus.”
into 360° environments from Dali's oeuvre
and always go through the lineup 2 or 3 times just to immerse myself over and over again
The Dali Museum Café Gala Cookbook is fabulous,
Café Gala on the main floor of the museum, serves coffee and croissants in the morning,
A glass of Spanish Albariño is one of my favourites
Cantabria Anchovies with olive oil and microgreen garnish
Perfect little warm toasts to be enjoyed with the anchovies
Delicious Roasted Beets with Matô (Catalonian fresh cheese) and orange supreme,
A cup of cold Basque-style Gazpacho made with chilled tomatoes and cucumber, 
A bowl of Caldo Gallego, a hearty Spanish white bean and ham soup,
and has joined my ever-expanding and much loved cookbook library
but at noon, it transforms with a sensational Spanish Restaurant
garnished with curry spiced pistachios, and baby herbs in a honey lemon vinaigrette
Tortilla Española is warm Spanish omelet with onion and potato, served with lemon aio and olives
garnished with crouton and micro greens — absolutely delicious
served with warm focaccia
Crème Catalana is an amazing Spanish chocolate dessert made with dark chocolate
and finished with a caramelized chocolate sea salt crumb
Melon Salmerejo
Serves 20
Recipe courtesy of chef Chuck Bandel, Café Gala
5 1/2 lbs peeled and seeded cantaloupe 2 large melons
1 lb stale bread about 1 1/2 French baguettes
9 oz olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
9 oz sea salt
9 oz sherry vinegar
Cut up the bread and set it to soaking in water while you prepare everything else.
Place everything except the bread into a blender and blend until smooth. Then squeeze as much water as possible out of the bread. Add the soaked bread to the melon mixture and blend until really smooth. This gives the soup its unique creaminess and thickness. If you want a smoother soup, strain with a fine-mesh strainer. (A Vitamix works wonders on this soup; no straining is necessary with that machine.) Garnish with mini melon balls, bits of Serrano ham, spiced pumpkin seeds, olive oil, or anything you want.
Chef Chuck Bandel of Café Gala
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