In what year did Salvador Dalí open his museum in Figueres? The answer is 1974.
The Dalí Theatre and Museum officially opened on September 28, 1974, in Figueres, Catalonia, the artist’s birthplace. It occupies the remains of the town’s former municipal theatre, where Dalí had exhibited his work as a young artist.
The theatre had been badly damaged by fire during the Spanish Civil War and remained in ruins for years. Dalí and Figueres mayor Ramon Guardiola developed the idea of transforming it into a museum in the 1960s. The city approved the plan in 1968, and construction began the following year.
The museum was still evolving when it opened, and Dalí continued modifying it for the rest of his life. Its theatrical design—including the glass geodesic dome, surreal installations and Mae West room—makes it more than a conventional gallery. Dalí was buried in a crypt beneath the stage in 1989, linking his life and legacy permanently to the building.