Dali

Life of Salvador Dali

The Spanish painter Salvador Dali, b. May 11, 1904, d. Jan. 23, 1989, was a leader of SURREALISM. He studied (1921-26) at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid and associated with such future Spanish modernists in the arts as Federico GARCIA LORCA and Luis BUNUEL; his early work was influenced by the Italian futurists, particularly Carlo Carra, and later by the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de CHIRICO. Dali himself stated that the true motivating forces in his work were his inbred Catalan sense of fantasy and what he called his megalomania.

After moving to Paris, Dali frequented the Cafe Cyrano, the headquarters of the Parisian surrealists, and in 1929 first exhibited his own surrealist paintings. He studied the writings of Sigmund Freud and subsequently declared an ambition to "systemize confusion." Such paintings as Persistence of Memory, popularly known as Soft Watches (1931; Museum of Modern Art, New York City), and The Sacrament of the Last Supper (1955; National Gallery, Washington, D.C.) became widely known and part of the definitive record of 20th-century art.

Displaying an early technical virtuosity, Dali worked in several media, including jewelry, advertisements, beer bottle design, and ballet sets and costumes. In collaboration with Bunuel, Dali created the famous surrealist films Un Chien andalou (1928; An Andalusian Dog) and L'Age d'or (1931; The Age of Gold). His eccentric appearance--flowing capes, handlebar mustache, and popping eyes--made him recognized worldwide.