Born in 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech showed precocious talent at the Madrid art academy before embracing Surrealism in Paris alongside André Breton, Luis Buñuel, and Gala Éluard, who became his wife and muse. His 1929 film *Un Chien Andalou*, with its slashed eye sequence, announced a sensibility that treated the unconscious as raw material.

Dalí's paintings—*The Persistence of Memory*, *Soft Construction with Boiled Beans*, *The Elephants*—combined hyper-real draftsmanship with irrational juxtapositions. He pioneered the 'paranoiac-critical method,' deliberately inducing hallucinatory states to access imagery. Expelled from the Surrealist group for commercialism and political provocations, he built a global brand through print editions, jewelry design, and flamboyant public appearances.

In later decades Dalí turned to nuclear mysticism, holography, and a museum-theater in his hometown. He died in Figueres in 1989, leaving a body of work that critics still debate—genius, showman, or both—but that undeniably expanded how modern art engages dreams, science, and celebrity.

1. 1904

   Born in Figueres

   Raised in Catalonia; early drawings suggested the meticulous realism that would underpin his surreal visions.

2. 1929

   Joins Surrealist Circle

   Met Gala and exhibited with Paris Surrealists; painted *The Persistence of Memory* three years later.

3. 1936

   London International Surrealist Exhibition

   Delivered a lecture in a diving suit, embodying the theatrical persona that rivaled his canvases.

4. 1940

   Moves to United States

   Spent the war years in America, designing for fashion, ballet, and Hollywood while painting major works.

5. 1989

   Death in Figueres

   Buried in the museum he created; remains among the best-known—and best-selling—artists of the modern era.