Salvador Dalí (1904 - 1989)

Biographical Sketch

Salvador Dalí, one of the most famous Spanish painters of this century, was born in Figueres (Catalonia) on May 11, 1904 and died on January 23, 1989.

After studying at the art academy in Madrid from 1921-1926, he traveled through Europe and the USA. He spent 1940 to 1948 in New York and California, thereafter mostly in Port Lligat (on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline near his birthplace). From 1923, he was influenced by the Italian Futurists and 'Metaphysical Painting' (i.e. De Chirico). Two years later he came into contact with Cubists and above all, Surrealists in Paris. From 1929 until ca. 1935 he belonged to Breton's Surrealist circle. On his travels to Italy, he studied the Renaissance and Baroque periods and espoused ancient painting techniques. In his paintings, real and fantastic visions were inseparably present, naturalistic and dream-like perspectives intermingled. He was a 'hallucinatory drawer'. After 1945, his motifs were constantly repeated in his works. Among his extensive graphic, painterly and sculptural works are portraits, religious paintings, book illustrations, objects, jewelry, theater sets, etc. He published ' La vie secrète de S. D. in 1944 and in 1968 ' Dalí Says..'. In 1973, his collected essays appeared under the title 'Salvador Dalí: The Conquest of the Irrational'.

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References:

Salvador Dalí. Das druckgraphische Werk 1924-1980 and Das druckgraphische Werk II Lithographien und Holzstiche 1956-1980 published by Michler and Löpsinger, Munich-New York 1995

The official catalogue of the graphic works of Salvador Dalí, by Albert Field, authorized by Dalí. Published by The Salvador Dalí Archives, New York 1996

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Note:

The references given are not meant as a list of the best works available on the subject, but simply reflect the author's sources.

Registers and catalogues of works are included when known and correspond to the information given in the index.