HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly 15 years in, and the Dali Museum is expanding on its latest home, but not before looking back in a special exhibition.
The Architecture of Dali is a look into the 55-year history of the Dali Museum. The museum first opened in Ohio in 1971. It came to St. Petersburg in 1982.
Museum Curator Peter Tush looks back at turning points, like seeing south Florida devastated in the 1992 storm season.
“And we realized because of Hurricane Andrew, the absolute need to protect our collection,” said Tush.
It’s the largest collection of Dali works outside Europe. In 2008, the museum broke ground on its current home. And opened in 2011 on January 11, built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.
“The building itself reflects the enthusiasm in the architecture for the idea of for the ideas Dali had,” said Tush.
Ideas like geodesic structures, such as the outside glass treatment of the Dali building, and spirals like their main winding staircase. And while one gallery looks at the past, the adjoining gallery is all about the future. Building models are there, along with a video treatment of the imagined new space.
In all, this gallery represents a $65 million investment, coming from a mixture of private and public funding, with opening planned for the fall of 2028.