FIGUERES.- The Dalí Foundation has launched an ambitious project for the comprehensive digitisation of its collections and the historical archive it preserves. The work process began last October and is expected to be completed in 2028. This initiative responds to one of the strategic priorities set by the President of the institution, Jordi Mercader, when he took office in 2017: to preserve, connect and project Dalí’s legacy into the future. The budget is €1.2 million to be executed over three years.

The project aims to ensure the optimal conservation of the heritage and to democratise access to it. These collections and archival holdings are preserved in the archive and the storage facilities located at Torre Galatea (Figueres), and in the three Dalí Museums in Figueres, Púbol and Portlligat. Until now, digitisation had focused mainly on Salvador Dalí’s paintings, accessible online and in four languages through the Catalogue Raisonné on the corporate website. With this new drive, the Foundation expects to have digitised its collections and holdings within two and a half years. This plan involves reaching more than 118,000 documents —including manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, audiovisual and sound materials, and press archives— and nearly 15,000 heritage assets —such as paintings, drawings, graphic work, sculptures, installations, studio materials, clothing, furniture and working tools. In total, more than 600,000 captures will be generated and progressively made available.

A memory that becomes intelligent
The initiative incorporates artificial intelligence tools that transform the collections and archival holdings into a living archive that can be consulted in an advanced way. The technology enables:

• Semantic search by concepts and ideas

• Connections between heritage assets and related documents

• Identification of recurring themes: people, places and landscapes, and iconic elements of Dalí’s work

• A transversal exploration of Dalí’s creative process

Planned schedule

The digitisation schedule is as follows: last October, work began in parallel on the documentary archive preserved at Torre Galatea (Figueres) —expected to be completed this summer— and on the collection of the Gala Dalí Castle (Púbol) —completed this past March. The collection held in the storage facilities at Torre Galatea began this April and is scheduled to conclude in August, when work will begin on the heritage collection of the Theatre-Museum. In autumn, the phase corresponding to the Salvador Dalí House-Museum in Portlligat will begin.

Technology at the service of heritage

Within the framework of the digitisation project, the incorporation of new technologies such as artificial intelligence is envisaged. By doing this, the Dalí Foundation is addressing future challenges with innovative tools that facilitate consultation and access to information. The institution understands AI not as a substitute for human expertise but as a support that enhances and amplifies research, as it enables the connection and cross-referencing of information from different databases. In this way, technology is placed at the service of heritage, and not the other way around. This approach aligns with the spirit of Salvador Dalí, a creator ahead of his time. Turning his legacy into an intelligent archive ultimately establishes a dialogue with his fascination for progress and innovation.

A working process bringing together multidisciplinary teams

The Dalí Foundation has launched this project through its Digital Transformation and Registration departments, in collaboration with the Centre for Dalinian Studies and the Conservation and Restoration department. It is supported by three external teams made up of photographers, conservators and documentalists: Foto Gasull, Nubilum and ArtyPlan, specialists in cultural heritage digitisation processes.

Over two and a half years, the project involves an intensive effort in data structuring and high-quality image capture to guarantee the physical integrity of the works and documents. At the same time, it standardises and systematises the management of the collections and archive in accordance with European criteria. The result is the consolidation of the Dalí Foundation’s tacit knowledge, ensuring the future preservation of the holdings and reinforcing the research programme promoted by the institution through fellowships and residencies.

This complex and transversal project consolidates the Dalí Foundation as a European benchmark in advanced heritage digitisation and as an institution that integrates heritage and new technologies. The President of the Dalí Foundation, Jordi Mercader, has stated that “with the launch of this project, heritage is presented as a dynamic reality, capable of engaging in dialogue with the present and of activating new narratives.” He added that it represents “a new way of exploring memory and transforming legacy into living knowledge”.