Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquis of Púbol, was born on May 11, 1904, in Figueres, Catalonia (Spain). From a young age, he exhibited unusual behavior and an early talent for art. His parents, struck by his resemblance to a brother who had died before his birth (also named Salvador), raised him with the belief that he was the reincarnation of his deceased sibling — a concept that deeply influenced his psyche and his work.
Dalí attended the Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, where he met other young artists and intellectuals, including Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca. Although he frequently clashed with his professors due to his rebellious spirit, he developed a personal style initially inspired by Impressionism, Cubism, and Metaphysical painting.
In the 1920s, he became involved with the Surrealist movement, led by André Breton. Dalí brought a new visual language to Surrealism, inspired by Freud’s psychoanalysis and the world of dreams, creating dreamlike, disturbing, and symbol-rich imagery. His painting technique, hyper-realistic and extremely detailed, merged with absurd and irrational content.
His most famous work is "The Persistence of Memory" (1931), which features the iconic melting clocks that have become a universal symbol of Surrealism.
In 1929, he met Gala Éluard, born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, who became his muse, lover, and later, wife. Gala was the central figure in Dalí’s life: she supported him, inspired him, and managed his financial affairs. Their relationship was intense and complex, and Gala appears in many of his works.
In the 1930s, due to his sympathy for Francoism and his strong individualism, Dalí was expelled from the official Surrealist group by André Breton. Dalí responded with the famous phrase: “I am Surrealism.”
During World War II, he moved to the United States with Gala, where he lived for about eight years. During this period, he gained international recognition, working not only in painting but also in cinema (with Hitchcock and Disney), fashion, design, photography, and advertising.
Upon returning to Spain, Dalí lived between Port Lligat, Púbol, and Figueres, where he created the Dalí Theatre-Museum, a grand architectural and artistic project dedicated to himself, inaugurated in 1974.
After Gala’s death in 1982, Dalí fell into a deep depression. In 1984, he was the victim of a fire in his house in Púbol, which worsened his health. He died on January 23, 1989, in Figueres, at the age of 84. He is buried in the crypt of his Theatre-Museum.
