Salvador Dalí

Salvador Felice Jacinto Dalí was born on May 11, 1904, in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain, home today to the Dalí Theatre-Museum. In 1922, he enrolled at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, where he explored Metaphysical painting and Cubism. Between 1926 and 1929, he traveled to Paris, meeting Picasso, Miró, Magritte, and the poet Paul Éluard, and discovered Surrealism, becoming one of its most iconic figures.

A defining influence in his life was Gala, his muse, wife, and lifelong inspiration. Dalí’s work is rich in recurring symbols, including melting clocks, ants, eggs, and elephants, which appear in both his paintings and sculptures.

Dalí died in 1989 at the age of 84.