Collection of Salvador Dali graphics

Salvador Dali is one of the most famous artists of the 20th century and the most outstanding representative of the surrealism. He was born in Figueras in Spain. The landscape of Catalonia has later been an important source of inspiration for his work.

The artistic career of Dali really began when he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid where he experimented with cubism, pointillism as well as futurism. In 1927 he went to Paris and through Joan Miro he made the acquaintance of the two surrealists; the writer André Breton and the poet Paul Éluard. The year after he became a member of the surrealist group around Breton.

With his first solo exhibition in 1929, Dali established his very own style. It was based on the old master’s “glazing” technique and Dali painted with an almost photographic accuracy. This realism contrasted highly with his surrealistic themes often consisting of melted clocks, half-open drawers and fork shaped crutches. Dali himself had a name for these characteristic paintings; he called them “hand-painted dream photographs”. His motifs were inspired by sexuality, dreams, religion and history.

In the 1930s Dali’s works were represented on many exhibitions and he became famous and notorious for his provocations, scandals and his eccentricity. In 1938 Dali was expelled from the surrealist circles because of his political support of General Franco.

Dali and his wife Gala subsequently chose to move to the USA. Here Dali was quickly sought after. His themes shifted and became more religious and his fascination of nuclear physics and holography became evident.

In 1955 Dali returned to his Catalonia and later to his native town where he died in 1989.

Dali is represented in museums worldwide and major exhibitions have been organized in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Zurich, Madrid and Barcelona.