El Salvador gave achievements. Salvador Dali - biography, information, personal life

On May 11, 1904, a boy was born into the family of Don Salvador Dali y Cusi and Dona Felipa Domenech, who was destined to become one of the greatest geniuses of the era of surrealism in the future. His name was Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali.

Dali spent his childhood in Catalonia, in the north-east of Spain, the most beautiful corner of the globe.

Already in early childhood, from the behavior and preferences of little Salvador, one could note his uncontrollable energy and eccentric character. Frequent whims and hysterics made Dali's father angry, but his mother, on the contrary, tried in every possible way to please her beloved son. She forgave him even the most disgusting tricks. As a result, the father became a kind of embodiment of evil, and the mother, on the contrary, became a symbol of good.

Dali showed a talent for painting at a young age. At the age of four, he tried to draw with surprising diligence for such a small child. At the age of six, Dali was attracted by the image of Napoleon and, as if identifying himself with him, he felt the need for some kind of power. Having put on the king's fancy dress, he took great pleasure in his appearance.

Salvador Dali painted his first painting when he was 10 years old. It was a small impressionist landscape painted on a wooden board with oil paints. The talent of a genius was bursting forth. Dali sat all day long in a small room specially allocated to him, drawing pictures. In Figueres, Dali took drawing lessons from Professor Joan Nunez. It can be said that under the experienced guidance of the professor, the talent of young Salvador Dali took its real forms. Already at the age of 14, it was impossible to doubt Dali’s ability to draw.

When Dali was almost 15 years old, he was expelled from the monastic school for obscene behavior. But he was able to successfully pass all the exams and enter college (as in Spain they called a school that provides a completed secondary education). He managed to graduate from the institute in 1921 with excellent grades. He then entered the Madrid Academy of Art

At the age of sixteen, Dali began to put his thoughts on paper. From that time on, painting and literature became equally parts of his creative life. In 1919, in his homemade publication “Studio”, he published essays on Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Michelangelo and Leonardo. Participates in student unrest, for which he goes to prison for a day.

In the early 20s, Dali was delighted with the work of the Futurists, but he was still determined to create his own style of painting. At this time he made new friends and acquaintances. Among them were such outstanding and talented people as the poet Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bonuel. In Madrid, Dali was left to his own devices for the first time. The artist's extravagant appearance amazed and shocked ordinary people. This brought Dali himself into indescribable delight. In 1921, Dali's mother dies.

In 1923, for violating discipline, he was suspended from the academy for a year. During this period, Dali's interest was focused on the works of the great Cubist genius Pablo Picasso. In Dali's paintings of that time one can notice the influence of Cubism (“Young Girls” (1923)).

In 1925, from November 14 to 27, the first personal exhibition of his works was held at the Dalmau Gallery. At this exhibition there were 27 paintings and 5 drawings of the aspiring great genius. The school of painting in which he studied gradually disappointed him and in 1926 Dali was expelled from the academy for his freethinking. Also in 1926, Salvador Dali went to Paris, trying to find something he liked there. Having joined the group united around Andre Breton, he began to create his first surrealist works (“Honey is Sweeter than Blood” 1928; “Bright Joys” 1929)

At the beginning of 1929, the premiere of the film “Un Chien Andalou” took place, based on the script by Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel. The script itself was written in six days! After the scandalous premiere of this film, another film called “The Golden Age” was conceived.

By 1929, surrealism had become a controversial and, for many, unacceptable movement in painting.

The personal life of Salvador Dali until 1929 did not have any bright moments (unless you count his many hobbies for unreal girls, young women and women). But it was in that year 1929 that Dali fell in love with a real woman - Elena Dyakonova or Gala. At that time, Gala was the wife of the writer Paul Eluard, but her relationship with her husband by that time was already cool. It is this woman who will become the muse and inspiration of the genius Dali for the rest of her life.

In 1930, the paintings of Salvador Dali began to bring him fame (“Blurry of Time”; “The Persistence of Memory”). The constant themes of his creations were destruction, decay, death, as well as the world of human sexual experiences (the influence of the books of Sigmund Freud).

In the early 30s, Salvador Dali entered into some kind of conflict on political grounds with the surrealists. His admiration for Adolf Hitler and his monarchical inclinations ran counter to Breton's ideas. Dali broke with the surrealists after they accused him of counter-revolutionary activities.

In January 1931, the premiere of the second film, “The Golden Age,” took place in London.

By 1934, Gala had already divorced her husband, and Dali could marry her. The amazing thing about this married couple was that they felt and understood each other. Gala, in the literal sense, lived the life of Dali, and he, in turn, deified her and admired her.

Between 1936 and 1937, Salvador Dali painted one of his most famous paintings, “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus.” At the same time, his literary work entitled “Metamorphoses of Narcissus” was published. Paranoid topic. “By the way, earlier (1935) in the work “Conquest of the Irrational” Dali formulated the theory of the paranoid-critical method.

In 1937, Dali visited Italy to familiarize himself with Renaissance painting.

After the occupation in France in 1940, Dali left for the USA (California), where he opened a new workshop. It was there that the great genius wrote, probably one of his best books, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, written by himself. “When this book was published in 1942, it immediately attracted severe criticism from the press and puritanical supporters. But nostalgia for his homeland takes its toll and in 1948 he returns to Spain. While in Port Lligat, Dali turned to religious and fantastic themes in his creations.

In 1953, a large retrospective exhibition of Salvador Dali took place in Rome. It presents 24 paintings, 27 drawings, 102 watercolors!

Earlier in 1951, on the eve of the Cold War, Dali developed the theory of “atomic art”, published in the same year in the “Mystical Manifesto”. Dali sets himself the goal of conveying to the viewer the idea of ​​the constancy of spiritual existence even after the disappearance of matter (The Exploding Head of Raphael. 1951).

In 1959, Dalí and Gala built their own home in Port Lligat. By that time, no one could doubt the genius of the great artist. His paintings were bought for huge sums of money by fans and lovers of luxury. Huge canvases painted by Dali in the 60s were valued at huge sums. Many millionaires considered it chic to have paintings by Salvador Dali in their collection.

At the end of the 60s, the relationship between Dali and Gala began to fade. And at Gala’s request, Dali was forced to buy her his own castle, where she spent a lot of time in the company of young people. The rest of their life together was smoldering firebrands that had once been a bright fire of passion.

In 1973, the Dali Museum was opened in Figueres. This incomparable surrealistic creation still delights visitors to this day. The museum is a retrospective of the life of the great artist

Closer to the 80s, Dali began to have health problems. Franco's death shocked and frightened Dali. Being a patriot, he could not calmly experience the changes in the fate of Spain. Doctors suspected Dali had Parkinson's disease. This disease once became fatal for his father.

Gala died on June 10, 1982. Although their relationship could not be called close, Dali took her death as a terrible blow.

By the end of 1983, his spirits seemed to have lifted somewhat. He began to sometimes walk in the garden and began to paint pictures. But this did not last long, alas. Old age took precedence over a brilliant mind. On August 30, 1984, a fire occurred in Dali’s house. The burns on the artist's body covered 18% of the skin.

By February 1985, Dali’s health had improved somewhat and he was able to give an interview to the largest Spanish newspaper Pais.

But in November 1988, Dali was admitted to the clinic with a diagnosis of heart failure.

Salvador Dali's heart stopped on January 23, 1989. His body was pained, as he requested, and for a week he lay in his museum in Figueres. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to the great genius.

Salvador Dali was buried in the center of his museum under an unmarked slab. The life of this man was truly bright and brilliant. Salvador Dali can safely be called the unique, greatest genius of surrealism of the 20th century!

Name: Salvador Dali

Age: 84 years old

Place of birth: Figueres, Spain

A place of death: Figueres, Spain

Activity: painter, graphic artist, sculptor, director, writer

Family status: was married

Salvador Dali - biography

A dashingly curled mustache, a crazy look, eccentric antics - everyone saw him as a madman. But behind the outer shell of an eccentric there was a shy and complex person. This is Salvador Dali.

Salvador Dali - childhood

The family of Don Salvador Dali y Cusi was extremely happy about the appearance of their first child. They decided to name him after his father. However, the boy did not live long - he died of meningitis. The parents were overwhelmed with grief, and only the birth of another son brought them back to life. There was no doubt: this baby is the reincarnation of the first! Besides, he looks like him like two peas in a pod. The boy was also named Salvador.

When the child grew up a little, he was brought to his brother’s grave. He looked in fascination at his own name on the marble slab...

Salvador Dali - enfant terrible

Residents of the Spanish town of Figueres surrounded the boy who was screaming heart-rendingly. A policeman intervened:

Yes, open your own shop and give the child a lollipop! - the law enforcement officer turned to the frightened shopkeeper, who simply asked the boy to wait until the siesta was over.

Salvador, of course, turned out to be a hysterical child, accustomed to getting his way through manipulation, blackmail and screaming. When his father refused to buy him a bicycle, the boy began to wet the bed. He could throw himself at the walls, and when they asked him why he was doing this, he answered: “Because no one pays attention to me.”

The children didn't like him. Having learned that Salvador was afraid of grasshoppers, they began to put them in his notebook and throw them down his collar. The unfortunate man cried and screamed, but there was no one willing to console him. The only outlet was drawing. At the age of six, he scratched his first sketch on a wooden table - a pair of swans, and at ten he already became an artist with his own, rather original vision of the surrounding reality.

Parents tried not to limit the young genius in anything. They gave him a separate room with a bathroom for his workshop. When it was hot, Salvador would fill the bathtub with cold water, sit in it and paint on canvas. The easel was a ribbed washing board.

Salvador Dali - career

In 1921, Salvador went to the Academy of San Fernando to hone his visual skills. He wrote an examination picture, but the commission said that the work was too small in size and gave him a chance to improve. However, a couple of days later Dali brought a drawing even smaller than the previous one. The academics gave in and accepted the gifted eccentric into the course. A few years later, he fully “repaid” his teachers for their kindness. During the exam, he told the commission: “I’m not going to demonstrate my skills to you, because none of you know as much as I know.” The arrogant know-it-all was expelled.

However, the years of study at the Academy were not in vain for Dali. He searched for himself, tried new movements - Cubism, Dadaism, wrote a lot, read Freud. But the most powerful surge of his talent happened when the artist arrived in Paris. There he met his idol - and there he joined the surrealists, whose canvases were full of allusions and bizarre forms.

Salvador Dali - biography of personal life

In a circle of surrealists, Dali first saw the woman who was destined to become the most important person in his life, the incomparable Gala.

Elena Dyakonova is 36, he is 25. Quite a youth, considering that Dali did not know women. Shortly before this, he became interested in his close friend, the poet Federico García Lorca, but the connection was not something serious.

Something trembled deep inside and made his legs give way when he saw Gala. Far from being a beauty, but what charisma! It’s no wonder that her husband, the poet Paul Eluard, kept his eyes open - as long as no one took her away. It didn’t help: she started affairs left and right. In the surrealist circle, she was mysteriously nicknamed “the muse.” Dali Gala noticed immediately. After looking at his work, I realized that she had real talent in front of her. And Salvador himself has already fallen recklessly in love.

The father did not like his son’s chosen one, but Dali was ready to quarrel with the whole world for the sake of his beloved. At first, he signed one of the paintings with the words: “Sometimes I spit with pleasure on the portrait of my mother,” although he always loved his mother dearly. Then he sent his father an envelope with his sperm and a note: “Here is everything I owe you.” He turned the whole world against himself, and in 1934 he married Gala, who left her husband and daughter for him.

Salvador Dali had by that time become a fairly famous artist. His paintings were taken to exhibitions, critics wrote admiring reviews. The paintings “The Great Masturbator” (1929), “The Persistence of Memory” (1931), and “Retrospective Portrait of a Woman” (1933) had already been created. A couple of years later, Dali would write “The Face of Mae West” and “Lobster Telephone.” The public liked his work, but no one was in a hurry to buy his paintings. Gala was most worried about this. She was sure that she was not mistaken in betting on Dali, and looked for buyers: she went to galleries, offered paintings - and heard a refusal over and over again. The couple lived in poverty.

Finally, the wind of change blew: it turned out that the artist was known and loved in America. It was decided to go overseas.

While World War II was raging in Europe. Dali and Gala enjoyed the artist's American triumph. Money flowed like a river. Walt Disney himself invited Dali to work with him on the cartoon. True, it turned out to be so strange that they decided not to release it on screens. Later, the artist was offered advertising contracts, and he readily agreed.

Outside observers saw Dali as a crazy eccentric who does whatever comes into his head. In fact, he did what Gala wanted. After the wedding, he signed even some of his paintings “Gala Salvador Dali.”

She enjoyed the gullibility of a genius. She had many young lovers, and Dali had to put up with this. Soon he, too, began to have affairs on the side. So, in 1965, Amanda Lear appeared in his life. A strange character: there were rumors that in the past she was a man... But what difference does it make, because Salvador needed a loved one. He still painted, but his paintings were in such demand that the artist stopped creating and began to stamp. One day Gala saw Dali painting: he took paint, dipped the brush into a bath of water and splashed it on the canvas: “And so they will buy it!”

In 1968, Gala wished to be alone. Salvador bought her a castle in Pubol. He could come there only with the prior permission of his muse. The artist suffered, but this was only the beginning. A few years later, he learned that he had Parkinson's disease. Gala immediately gave up on Dali: what good is he now?

The disease progressed. The artist had difficulty drawing - he simply drew squiggles. Gala brought him empty sheets of paper and forced him to sign on them - so that she could then draw something on them herself and sell it, passing it off as a master’s drawing.

But he continued to love Gala. When she died in 1982. Dali locked himself in her castle and received virtually no visitors. He left his home only because of a fire. Partially paralyzed, Dali called for help, but no one came... The artist had 20% of his body burned, but he survived miraculously.

He did not want to return to Pubol. He settled in his native Figueres, in his own museum, which he founded in 1974. Sick and weak, he dreamed of being buried here. When Salvador Dali died of a heart attack on January 23, 1989, the coffin with his body was placed under one of the slabs on the floor. Now every day hundreds of fans step on his grave, just as the artist himself wanted.

Great and extraordinary man Salvador Dali was born in Spain in the city of Figueres in 1904 on May 11. His parents were very different. My mother believed in God, but my father, on the contrary, was an atheist. Salvador Dali's father's name was also Salvador. Many people believe that Dali was named after his father, but this is not entirely true. Although father and son had the same names, the younger Salvador Dali was named in memory of his brother, who died before he was two years old. This worried the future artist, as he felt like a double, some kind of echo of the past. Salvador had a sister who was born in 1908.

The childhood of Salvador Dali

Dali studied very poorly, was spoiled and restless, although he developed the ability to draw in childhood. Ramon Pichot became El Salvador's first teacher. Already at the age of 14 his paintings were at an exhibition in Figueres.

In 1921, Salvador Dali went to Madrid and entered the Academy of Fine Arts there. He didn't like studying. He believed that he himself could teach his teachers the art of drawing. He stayed in Madrid only because he was interested in communicating with his comrades. There he met Federico García Lorca and Luis Buñuel.

Studying at the Academy

In 1924, Dali was expelled from the academy for misbehavior. Returning there a year later, he was again expelled in 1926 without the right to reinstatement. The incident that led to this situation was simply amazing. During one of the exams, the academy professor asked to name the 3 greatest artists in the world. Dali replied that he would not answer questions of this kind, because not a single teacher from the academy had the right to be his judge. Dali was too contemptuous of teachers.

And by this time, Salvador Dali already had his own exhibition, which he visited himself. This was the catalyst for the artists to meet.

Salvador Dali's close relationship with Buñuel resulted in a film called “Un Chien Andalou,” which had a surrealistic slant. In 1929, Dali officially became a surrealist.

How Dali found his muse

In 1929, Dali found his muse. She became Gala Eluard. It is she who is depicted in many paintings by Salvador Dali. A serious passion arose between them, and Gala left her husband to be with Dali. At the time of meeting his beloved, Dali lived in Cadaqués, where he bought himself a hut without any special amenities. With the help of Gala Dali, it was possible to organize several excellent exhibitions, which took place in cities such as Barcelona, ​​London, and New York.

In 1936, a very tragicomic moment happened. At one of his exhibitions in London Dali decided to give a lecture in a diver's suit. Soon he began to choke. Actively gesturing with his hands, he asked to take off his helmet. The public took it as a joke, and everything worked out.

By 1937, when Dali had already visited Italy, the style of his work had changed significantly. The works of the Renaissance masters were too strongly influenced. Dali was expelled from the surrealist society.

During World War II, Dali went to the United States, where he was recognized, and quickly achieved success. In 1941, the US Museum of Modern Art opened its doors for his personal exhibition. Having written his autobiography in 1942, Dali felt that he was truly famous, as the book sold out very quickly. In 1946, Dali collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock. Of course, looking at the success of his former comrade, Andre Breton could not miss the chance to write an article in which he humiliated Dali - “Salvador Dali - Avida Dollars” (“Rowing Dollars”).

In 1948, Salvador Dali returned to Europe and settled in Port Lligat, traveling from there to Paris and then back to New York.

Dali was a very famous person. He did almost everything and was successful. It is impossible to count all his exhibitions, but the most memorable is the exhibition at the Tate Gallery, which was visited by about 250 million people, which cannot fail to impress.

Salvador Dali died in 1989 on January 23 after the death of Gala, who died in 1982.

Date of birth: May 11, 1904
Date of death: January 23, 1989
Place of birth: Figueres, Spain

Salvador Dali- famous painter. And Salvador Dali was a graphic artist, sculptor, director.

Salvador Dali was born in the Spanish city of Figueres. The first-born born to his mother died in infancy, and hopes were pinned on Salvador to continue the Dali family. Perhaps this is why, already in childhood, the boy was distinguished by arrogance, was difficult to control, but had all the makings of an unusual person. Public hysterics, working for the public, constant whims - all the attention went to Salvador.

All these qualities greatly interfered with friendship with ordinary children; they treated him like a “black sheep” and were often cruel in their jokes.

Drawing was the art that reconciled the future genius with the world around him. Initial training took place at the ordinary art school of Figueres. Then, in 1914, the same Academy followed, in Figueres, where training lasted 4 years.

This was followed by the Academy of San Fernando, where already upon admission the applicant showed his unusual character. The introductory drawing was not made in accordance with the requirements of the commission, but the young man was given a chance to correct everything. Instead, Dali deviated even further from the standards. However, he was accepted for his outstanding abilities.

Soon the young student’s mother died. This was a big blow for him.
A year later, Dali was already studying in Madrid. Of course, the capital provides many opportunities for development - Dali is interested in the works of Freud, meets G. Lorca, L. Buñuel, and experiments with new directions in painting.

Snobbery and arrogance become the reason for his expulsion from the Academy. Then, in 1926, the first trip to Paris took place. In the French capital, I met several people who played an important role in the artist’s life. This is P. Picasso and P. Eluard’s wife, Gala. Subsequently, the woman will become Dali's wife.

Creative life was in full swing, he exhibited and by 1929 gained popularity. Collaboration with surrealists begins. Then the relationship with the father goes wrong, and soon there is a complete break with him.

A break also occurs with the surrealists, who, after Franco came to power, sympathize with the “left” forces. In general, Dali was indifferent to politics; he believed that he was a level above it.

In 1934, the marriage to Gala took place, although without observing official formalities.

In 1937, a journey through Italy begins. The Renaissance impressed the artist and left a mark on his work. After the outbreak of World War II, Salvador and his wife left for the United States, where they lived for 8 years. Dali begins literary activity, which becomes commercially successful. However, he managed to monetize his artistic talent. He has also appeared in commercials several times. The artist earned money in America by mastering the professions of a jeweler, illustrator, decorator, sales representative, and ballet director.

After returning from the USA to Spain in 1948, the artist continued to create and shock. He makes films and enjoys photography.

In 1965, he met young A. Lear, who remained his life partner for 8 years. Gala did not interfere with this, perhaps because the relationship was platonic.

In 1981, he fell ill with Parkinson's disease, and a year later his wife died. All this is reflected in creativity - the paintings are filled with depression, hand tremors also interfere with drawing.

The last years of his life were overshadowed by both illnesses and exacerbated negative character traits.
On January 23, 1989, Salvador Dali died as a result of acute heart failure

Achievements of Salvador Dali:

Probably the most famous surrealist artist
Created many paintings in different styles

Dates from the biography of Salvador Dali:

1914 began training at the Academy of the Brothers of the Marist Order
1921 death of mother
1926 expelled from the Academy of Arts
1929 Beginning of collaboration with the surrealists
1934 marriage to Gala (unofficial). First short trip to the USA.
1940 went to live in the USA
1981 develops Parkison's disease
1982 death of wife
1984 fire at Pubol Castle
1989, died on January 23

Interesting facts about Salvador Dali:

Full name: Salvador Domenech Felip Jacinth Dali and Domenech.
Salvador is the name that his father called the boy in childhood and means “savior” in Spanish. The parents claimed that Salvador was the incarnation in earthly life of his deceased brother.
The first personal exhibition took place when the artist was 14 years old.
He was inseparable from his wife for 53 years.
The artist's body is buried under the floor of his house, which has now become a museum.
Four films have been made and 20 full-length books have been published based on the artist’s life.

Salvador Dali (full name - Salvador Domènec Felip Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Púbol; cat. Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí de Púbol; Spanish. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí y de Púbol ). Born May 11, 1904 in Figueres - died January 23, 1989 in Figueres. Spanish painter, graphic artist, sculptor, director, writer. One of the most famous representatives of surrealism.

Worked on the films: “Un Chien Andalou,” “The Golden Age,” “Spellbound.” Author of the books “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, Told by Himself” (1942), “The Diary of a Genius” (1952-1963), Oui: The Paranoid-Critical Revolution (1927-33) and the essay “The Tragic Myth of Angelus Millet.”

Salvador Dali was born in Spain on May 11, 1904 in the city of Figueres, province of Girona, into the family of a wealthy notary. He was a Catalan by nationality, perceived himself as such and insisted on this peculiarity of his. Had a sister and an older brother (October 12, 1901 - August 1, 1903), who died of meningitis. Later, at the age of 5, at his grave, Salvador was told by his parents that he was the reincarnation of his older brother.

As a child, Dali was a smart, but arrogant and uncontrollable child.

Once he even started a scandal in the shopping area for the sake of a candy, a crowd gathered around and the police asked the owner of the shop to open it during siesta and give this sweetness to the naughty boy. He achieved his goal through whims and simulation, always striving to stand out and attract attention.

Numerous complexes and phobias prevented him from joining ordinary school life and forming the usual bonds of friendship and sympathy with children.

But, like any person, experiencing sensory hunger, he sought emotional contact with children by any means, trying to get used to their team, if not as a comrade, then in any other role, or rather the only one he was capable of - as a shocking and a naughty child, strange, eccentric, always acting contrary to other people's opinions.

When he lost in school gambling games, he acted as if he had won and celebrated. Sometimes he would start fights for no reason.

Part of the complexes that led to all this were caused by the classmates themselves: they treated the “strange” child rather intolerantly, took advantage of his fear of grasshoppers, slipped these insects down his collar, which drove Salvador to hysterics, which he later told about in his book “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali, Told by Himself.”

He began studying fine arts at a municipal art school. From 1914 to 1918 he was educated at the Academy of the Brothers of the Marist Order in Figueres. One of his childhood friends was the future FC Barcelona footballer Josep Samitier. In 1916, with the family of Ramon Pichó, he went on vacation to the city of Cadaqués, where he became acquainted with modern art.

In 1921 he entered the Academy of San Fernando. The drawing, presented by him as an applicant, was highly appreciated by the teachers, but was not accepted due to its small size. Salvador Dali was given 3 days to create a new drawing. However, the young man was in no hurry to get to work, which greatly worried his father, who had already suffered through his quirks over the years. In the end, young Dali announced that the drawing was ready, but it was even smaller than the previous one, and this was a blow for his father. However, the teachers, due to their extremely high skill, made an exception and accepted the young eccentric into the academy.

In the same year, Salvador Dali's mother dies, which becomes a tragedy for him.

In 1922, he moved to the “Residence” (Spanish: Residencia de Estudiantes) (a student dormitory in Madrid for gifted young people) and began his studies. In those years, everyone noted his panache. At this time he met Luis Buñuel, Federico Garcia Lorca, Pedro Garfias. He reads works with enthusiasm.

Acquaintance with new trends in painting is developing - Dali experiments with the methods of cubism and dadaism. In 1926, he was expelled from the Academy for his arrogant and disdainful attitude towards teachers. In the same year he goes to Paris for the first time, where he meets. Trying to find his own style, in the late 1920s he created a number of works influenced by Picasso and Joan Miró. In 1929, he participated with Buñuel in the creation of the surreal film “Un Chien Andalou.”

At the same time, he first meets his future wife Gala (Elena Dmitrievna Dyakonova), who was then the wife of the poet Paul Eluard. Having become close to Salvador, Gala, however, continued to meet with her husband and started relationships with other poets and artists, which at that time seemed acceptable in those bohemian circles where Dali, Eluard and Gala moved. Realizing that he actually stole his friend’s wife, Salvador paints his portrait as “compensation.”

Dali's works are shown at exhibitions, he is gaining popularity. In 1929 he joined the group of surrealists organized by Andre Breton. At the same time, there is a break with his father. The hostility of the artist’s family towards Gala, the associated conflicts, scandals, as well as the inscription made by Dali on one of the canvases - “Sometimes I spit with pleasure on the portrait of my mother” - led to the fact that the father cursed his son and kicked him out of the house.

The provocative, shocking and seemingly terrible actions of the artist were not always worth understanding literally and seriously: he probably did not want to offend his mother and did not even imagine what this would lead to, perhaps he longed to experience a series of feelings and experiences that he stimulated in such a blasphemous, at first glance, act. But the father, upset by the long-ago death of his wife, whom he loved and whose memory he carefully preserved, could not stand his son’s antics, which became the last straw for him. In retaliation, the indignant Salvador Dali sent his sperm to his father in an envelope with an angry letter: “This is all I owe you.” Later, in the book “The Diary of a Genius,” the artist, already an elderly man, speaks well of his father, admits that he loved him very much and endured the suffering caused by his son.

In 1934, he unofficially married Gala (the official wedding took place in 1958 in the Spanish town of Girona). In the same year he visited the USA for the first time.

After Caudillo Franco came to power in 1936, Dalí quarreled with the surrealists on the left and was expelled from the group.

In response, Dali, not without reason, states: "Surrealism is me".

Salvador was practically apolitical, and even his monarchist views should be understood surrealistically, that is, not seriously, as well as his constantly advertised sexual passion for Hitler.

He lived surrealistically, his statements and works had a broader and deeper meaning than the interests of specific political parties.

So, in 1933, he painted the painting The Riddle of William Tell, where he depicts the Swiss folk hero in the image of Lenin with a huge buttock.

Dali reinterpreted the Swiss myth according to Freud: Tell became a cruel father who wants to kill his child. Personal memories of Dali, who broke with his father, were layered. Lenin was perceived by communist-minded surrealists as a spiritual, ideological father. The painting depicts dissatisfaction with an overbearing parent, a step towards the formation of a mature personality. But the surrealists took the drawing literally, as a caricature of Lenin, and some of them even tried to destroy the canvas.

In 1937, the artist visited Italy and was delighted with the works of the Renaissance. In his own works, the correctness of human proportions and other academic features begin to dominate. Despite the departure from surrealism, his paintings are still filled with surrealist fantasies. Later, Dali (in the best traditions of his conceit and shockingness) credits himself with saving art from modernist degradation, with which he associates his own name (“Salvador” translated from Spanish means “Savior”).

In 1939, Andre Breton, mocking Dali and the commercial component of his work (which, however, Breton himself was not alien to), came up with an anagram nickname for him: “Avida Dollars” (which in Latin is not entirely accurate, but recognizable means “ greedy for dollars"). Breton's joke instantly gained enormous popularity, but did not harm Dalí's commercial success, which far exceeded Breton's.

With the outbreak of World War II, Dali and Gala left for the United States, where they lived from 1940 to 1948. In 1942, he released a fictionalized autobiography, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali.” His literary experiments, like his works of art, usually turn out to be commercially successful. He collaborates with Walt Disney. He invites Dali to test his talent in cinema - an art that at that time was surrounded by an aura of magic, miracles and wide possibilities. But the surreal cartoon project Destino, proposed by Salvador, was considered commercially unfeasible, and work on it was stopped. Dali works with director Alfred Hitchcock and paints the scenery for the dream scene from the film Spellbound. However, the scene was included in the film very truncated - again for commercial reasons.

After returning to Spain, he lives mainly in his beloved Catalonia. In 1965 he came to Paris and again, as almost 40 years ago, conquered it with his works, exhibitions and shocking actions. He makes whimsical short films and takes surreal photographs. In his films, he mainly uses reverse viewing effects, but skillfully selected shooting objects (flowing water, a ball bouncing down the steps), interesting comments, and a mysterious atmosphere created by the artist’s acting make the films unusual examples of art house. Dali appears in commercials, and even in such commercial activities he does not miss the opportunity for self-expression. TV viewers will long remember a chocolate commercial in which the artist takes a bite of a piece of a bar, after which his mustache twirls in euphoric delight and he exclaims that he has gone crazy from this chocolate.

His relationship with Gala is quite complicated. On the one hand, from the very beginning of their relationship, she promoted him, found buyers for his paintings, convinced him to paint works that were more understandable to the mass audience (the change in his painting at the turn of the 20-30s was striking), shared with him the luxury, and need. When there was no order for paintings, Gala forced her husband to develop product brands and costumes: her strong, decisive nature was very necessary for the weak-willed artist. Gala was putting things in order in his studio, patiently putting away canvases, paints, and souvenirs that Dali had scattered senselessly while looking for the right thing. On the other hand, she constantly had relationships on the side, in her later years the spouses often quarreled, Dali’s love was rather a wild passion, and Gala’s love was not devoid of calculation, with which she “married a genius.” In 1968, Dali bought a castle for Gala in the village of Pubol, in which she lived separately from her husband, and which he himself could visit only with the written permission of his wife. In 1981, Dali developed Parkinson's disease. Gala dies in 1982.

After the death of his wife, Dali experiences deep depression.

His paintings themselves are simplified, and for a long time they are dominated by the motif of grief (variations on the theme “Pietà”).

Parkinson's disease also prevents Dali from painting.

His most recent works (“Cockfights”) are simple squiggles in which the bodies of the characters are guessed - the last attempts at self-expression of an unfortunate sick person.

It was difficult to care for a sick and distraught old man; he threw himself at the nurses with whatever came to hand, screamed, and bit.

After Gala's death, Salvador moved to Pubol, but in 1984 there was a fire in the castle. The paralyzed old man rang the bell unsuccessfully, trying to call for help. In the end, he overcame his weakness, fell out of bed and crawled towards the exit, but lost consciousness at the door. Dali was taken to the hospital with severe burns, but survived. Before this incident, Salvador may have planned to be buried next to Gala, and even prepared a place in the crypt in the castle. However, after the fire, he left the castle and moved to the theater-museum, where he remained until the end of his days.

The only intelligible phrase he uttered during the years of illness was “My friend Lorca”: the artist recalled the years of his happy, healthy youth, when he was friends with the poet.

The artist bequeathed to bury him in such a way that people could walk on the grave, so Dali’s body is walled up in the floor in one of the rooms of the Dali Theater-Museum in the city of Figueres.

The most famous works of Salvador Dali:

Self-Portrait with Raphael's Neck (1920-1921)
Portrait of Luis Buñuel (1924)
Flesh on the Stones (1926)
The Gizmo and the Hand (1927)
The Invisible Man (1929)
Enlightened Pleasures (1929)
Portrait of Paul Eluard (1929)
Riddles of Desire: "My Mother, My Mother, My Mother" (1929)
The Great Masturbator (1929)
William Tell (1930)
The Persistence of Memory (1931)
Partial hallucination. Six apparitions of Lenin on the piano (1931)
Paranoid Transformations of Gala's Face (1932)
Retrospective Bust of a Woman (1933)
The Mystery of William Tell (1933)
Mae West's face (used as a surreal room) (1934-1935)
Woman with a Head of Roses (1935)
The Pliable Structure with Boiled Beans: A Premonition of the Civil War (1936)
Venus de Milo with boxes (1936)
Giraffe on Fire (1936-1937)
Anthropomorphic Locker (1936)
Telephone - Lobster (1936)
Sun Table (1936)
Metamorphoses of Narcissus (1936-1937)
The Riddle of Hitler (1937)
Swans Reflecting Elephants (1937)
Appearance of a face and a bowl of fruit on the seashore (1938)
Slave Market with the Appearance of Voltaire's Invisible Bust (1938)
Poetry of America (1943)
A dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate a second before awakening (1944)
The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1946)
Nude Dali contemplating five ordered bodies turning into corpuscles from which Leda Leonardo is unexpectedly created, fertilized by the face of Gala (1950)
Raphael's Head Explosion (1951)
Christ of Saint John of the Cross (1951)
Galatea with Spheres (1952)
Crucifixion or Hypercubic Body (1954) Corpus hypercubus
Colossus of Rhodes (1954)
Sodom's Self-Pleasure of an Innocent Maiden (1954)
Last Supper (1955)
Our Lady of Guadalupe (1959)
Discovery of America through the sleep of Christopher Columbus (1958-1959)
Ecumenical Council (1960)
Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (1976).