Salvador Dali

Flamboyant, egocentric, enigmatic.
These qualities best describe the Spanish artist,
Salvador Dali. His ingenious talent, layered with
virtuosity and technical brilliance,
was rivaled only by his unforgettable personality.
He was born in Figueras, Catalonia, and educated at the School
of Fine Arts, Madrid. After 1929 he espoused surrealism,
although the leaders of the movement later denounced Dali
as overly commercial. Dali's paintings from this period
depict dream imagery and everyday objects in unexpected forms,
such as the famous limp watches
Meeting Gala was the most important event in the artist's life
and decisive for his future career. She was a Russian immigrant
and ten years older than Dali. When he met her, she was married
to Paul Eluard.
Gala decided to stay with Dali. She became his companion,
his muse, his sexual partner, his model in numerous art works
and his business manager. For him she was everything.
Most of all Gala was a stabilizing factor in his life.
Dali and Gala moved to the United States in 1940, where they
remained until 1948.
In 1948 Dali and Gala returned to Europe and they lived in Spain
the rest of their life,
Since 1970 the artist had dedicated his energy to transform the
former Municipal Theater into a museum and art gallery.
After Gala's death he moved to Pubol, a castle, he had bought and
decorated for Gala. In 1984, when he was lying in bed, a fire broke
out and he suffered sever burns.
Dali continued to paint and enjoy celebrity until his death in 1988.