Salvador Dali

Born in Figueras, Spain, in 1904 and died in 1989, Salvador Dali was a Spanish surrealist painter, sculptor and screenwriter. He lived and worked mainly in Spain, but also spent time in Paris. In 1921, he entered the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, but was expelled before graduating. Dalí is an emblematic figure of Surrealism and an eccentric artist who left his mark on twentieth-century art history. He is famous for his dreamlike images, boundless imagination and hyper-realist technique. His works combine symbolism, optical illusion and classical influences. Dali took part in the first Surrealist exhibition in Paris in 1929, and in 1936 exhibited at the International Surrealist Exhibition in London. He organized several exhibitions in the United States in the 1940s, where he became very popular. His work is regularly exhibited at the Dalí Museum in Figueras, inaugurated in 1974 and designed by himself.