DALÍ, Salvador (1904-1989)

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) was a Spanish surrealist painter born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. Dalí was an eccentric Spanish painter who understood how the media worked and used it to its full potential. Dalí was a prolific artist, creating more than 1500 paintings during his life time and many works in other mediums, including prints, drawings, sculpture, book illustration, and theater set designs. The young Salvador Dalí drew from an early age and was encouraged by his sympathetic mother. In 1922 Salvador Dalí moved to Madrid to study painting at the Academy of Arts. Here he began to develop a reputation as an eccentric, attracting attention with his manner of dress, hairstyles, and comments on art. The artist experimented with forms of Cubism and Dadaism during his studies. Dali did not complete his final exams, and commented that those judging his work were not competent enough to grade him. Dalí moved to Paris, France, to pursue his career as an artist and to be amongst many of the most progressive artists of the time. It was here that Dalí met Pablo Picasso for the first time, a fellow Spaniard whom he greatly admired. He also became involved with André Breton and the Surrealist art movement. Around this time he also created surreal works that would come to represent what Surrealism was to many people, with works like \"The Great Masturbator\" and the famous Dalí melting clocks \"The Persistence of Memory\". In 1929 Salvador Dalí met his wife Helena Diakonova, a Russian immigrant that was already married and was more than 10 years older than him. Know as \"Gala\" she became Dalí\'s muse, lover, supporter and business manager. The couple were married in 1934 and she remained a major part of Dalí\'s life up until his death. Salvador Dalí had a falling out with the Surrealists over politics and Dalí\'s behavior. André Breton nicknamed Dalí \"Avida Dollars\" and was expelled from the Surrealist movement. Dalí was quoted as saying \"Surrealism is me\". Dalí went on to become a great success in the United States. He became a celebrity with his attention seeking comments, appearance and surreal paintings. Dali and his wife Gala spent 8 years in America, before returning to Catalonia in Spain. In 1982 his beloved wife and companion Gala died. He moved to his hometown of Figueres, Catalonia, Spain where he died from heart problems on the 23rd of January, 1989.