Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí was a Spanish artist (Figueres, Spain, 1904–Figueres, Spain, 1989), recognized as one of the most influential figures of Surrealism and 20th-century art. He studied at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid and lived at the Residencia de Estudiantes, where he became connected with Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca.

His work included painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, stage design, writing, film, and collaborations with photography and design. Dalí created a recognizable language through dreamlike images, ambiguous symbols, distorted objects, and scenes of great technical precision. Among his best-known works is The Persistence of Memory, from 1931, held at MoMA. He also collaborated with Luis Buñuel on Un Chien Andalou, in 1929, and L’Age d’Or, in 1930.

His work is part of collections such as the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Museo Reina Sofía, MoMA, Tate, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Afundación, Fundación MAPFRE, and the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg. His awards include the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts, granted by Spain in 1971.