One of the fastest-growing segments of the luxury travel scene is the experiential destination, often augmented by electronic devices. Luxury living magazines tend to love their museums almost as much as luxury lifestyle magazines love unique experiences, so when the two are combined, it is an interesting combination, indeed. And, of course, as a guide on how to live a luxury lifestyle for one of the Internet’s leading luxury lifestyle publications, we just had to tell you all about the new immersive Van Gogh experience on display at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Easily the most recognizable of the impressionist painters outside of Monet, Van Gogh’s ethereal art is a popular subject for rigorous analysis in the art world; it also happens to be a perennial favorite on the art auction market. But no one has experienced Van Gogh’s work in quite the way that the Salvador Dali Museum presents it. Blown up to massive scale and enveloping visitors in an impressionist landscape piped in straight from Van Gogh’s own imagination, the Salvador Dali Museum utilizes scale to effectively convey the otherworldly nature of Van Gogh’s transportive art.
Foremost among the Dutch impressionist painters, Van Gogh is often remembered for his misguided romantic gestures and his beautiful artwork. A commercial failure during his lifetime, and often derided as a madman, Van Gogh is now hailed as a foundational artist in the history of modern art and thus serves as an inspiration for maverick creatives seeking to break out of an older generation’s rules.
Displayed through high-definition projectors throughout the space, the museum has over 3000 of Van Gogh’s artworks for visitors to view. Contained within the eccentric, dynamic structure of the museum itself, the combined effect of space and immersive makes the Van Gogh demonstration one of the more unique in the art world. Designed by HOK’s Yann Weymouth, the structure itself is an homage to Dali’s work and, in particular, his fascination with spirals. Clad 1,062 triangular pieces of glass that comprise the “Enigma,” the interior house spiral staircase that reaches through the space and echoes Dali’s museum in Spain. The Florida museum is located on the waterfront and features a Mathematical Garden along its exterior.
Consisting of three floors, the first floor of the museum houses the Dali Museum Store, containing one of the world’s largest collections of Dali-inspired merchandise, as well as Cafe Gala, theater, Stavros Education Classroom, and the Raymond James Community Room. The second floor is home to the Dali Museum center for the avant-garde and serves as a locus point for artists, scholars, professionals, and devotees of Dali’s work. The third floor houses all exhibitions in addition to an amazing view of the waterfront and exterior gardens. An experience unto itself, the combination of Dali and larger-than-life Van Gogh may prove too much for art lovers to resist and the surrounding ambiance is sure to make it a getaway to remember.
PHOTO CREDIT: ©2022 – Salvador Dalí Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL.