Salvador Dalí
Biography
Salvador Felice Jacinto Dali was born on May 11th, 1904, in Figueres, a small town in Cataluña, Spain, where the "Dali Museum" stands today.
In 1922, the artist enrolled at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, where he was exposed to various art forms, including Metaphysical painting and Cubism. Between 1926 and 1929, Dali made several trips to Paris, where he encountered influential artists like Picasso, Magritte, Mirò, and poet Paul Eluard. It was during this period that he became acquainted with Surrealism, eventually becoming one of its foremost proponents.
A significant turning point in his life was his meeting with Gala, who became his lover, wife, and primary muse. He famously expressed his deep affection for her, stating, "Amo a Gala más que a mi madre, más que a mi padre, más que a Picasso e incluso más que al dinero" (I love Gala more than my mother, more than my father, more than Picasso, and even more than money). Dali's art is characterized by recurring symbols such as clocks, ants, eggs, and elephants, featured prominently in many of his sculptures.
Dali passed away in 1989 at the age of 84.