Salvador Dali
1904 - 1989

Born in Figuera, Spain, Dali was an artistically precocious child and eventually attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid where he was expelled twice. He believed he was more qualified than those who administered his examinations. He devoured the philosophical writings of Freud, and he discovered cubism, futurism and metaphysical art in magazines as a young artist. He had one-person shows in Barcelona in 1925 and in Madrid in 1926. His work eventually fused the pictorial concepts of the surrealists, Juan Gris, Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carra with the refined methods of the Old Masters. Sometime during 1928, Dali made a brief excursion to Paris where he met Picasso. Initially, Dali was shunned by the surrealists for possessing too much skill and painterly technique, as the surrealist ideal was based on a rejection of rationality. Later, Andre Breton, surrealism’s central figure, appointed him an official surrealist. Within a short time Dali was to become the movement’s most spectacular exponent. In his art he succeeded in achieving the synthesis of what Andre Breton called, “a retrograde craft with the most extreme inventions of modern culture.” His graphic oeuvre includes etchings, lithographs, and combinations of both, which evolved parallel to his paintings.

Throughout his career, Dali’s fame and reputation grew dramatically, as he developed a surrealist persona to accompany his art. Stories of Dali’s bizarre and audacious behavior have become the stuff of legends of modern art history. As his fame grew, so did the demand for his work among collectors and also from museum curators who sought acquisitions and exhibitions of his paintings, objects and graphic works. In 1982, the Salvador Dali Museum was opened in St. Petersburg, Florida, which was developed from the personal collection of Dali’s patrons, A. Reynolds and Eleanor R. Morse. In 1974, the Dali Theatre-Museum (Theatro-Museo Dali) was officially opened in Figeures, Spain after Dali himself worked on its development from 1970.

In the mid 1950’s, Dali met his most important friends and patrons, Drs. Guiseppe and Mara Albaretto. Their friendship, which lasted until Dali’s death in 1989, produced the largest private collection of Dali original works in the world. The Albaretto’s also became important publishers of etchings and lithographs by Dali including the “Sacra Biblia (Sacred Bible)” portfolio, the “1001 Arabian Nights” series, the “Odyssey” of Homer, and numerous individual images. These works, due to their impeccable provenance, remain some of the most desirable graphic works ever created by Dali. The Albaretto’s also acquired an earlier publisher of Dali works “Les Heures Claires,” publisher of the “Divine Comedy,” comprising 101 wood engravings, illustrating the epic poem of Dante.

The poem recounts the tale of the poet’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, guided by Virgil. After repenting of his faults, he is joined by Beatrice for the final leg of the journey through Paradise to receive a glimpse of God. Dali often equated Gala, his wife and inspiration, with Dante’s Beatrice. Like Dali, Dante’s symbolism is complex but highly intentional and rational. Both men had a keen knowledge of scientific studies in geology, optics and mathematics. Dali’s Divine Comedy is considered one of the artist’s most important creations of his prime years.

Several tragic occurrences plagued Dali in his last years. In 1980, he was forced to retire due to the development of a palsy, which caused uncontrollable tremors. In 1982, his wife Gala died, which caused him a deep depression. And in 1984, he was severely burned from a fire in his bedroom. He finally died in January of 1989 where he was living as a recluse in a tower of his own museum.