Artist Salvador Dali was born in Spain in 1904 and is primarily known as one of the great twentieth century artists and highly acclaimed surrealists. In addition to visual art, Dalí is known as a sculptor, photographer and filmmaker. Dalí began to study art at a young age. His first exhibition of charcoal paintings was held in the family home in 1916, arranged by his father. The first public exhibition was held at a municipal theater in 1919. The artist began his studies at Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid in 1922. His unique personal style was already garnering attention, though even more impressive was Dalí's art. The artist experimented with Cubism and it is believed that he was the only one to do so in Madrid at that time. Dalí found inspiration from catalogs and articles sent to him by Pichot. Dali gained acclaim as a talented artist at his first solo exhibition in 1925 in Barcelona, but his international celebrity status came as a result of his 1928 Pittsburgh exhibition. The following year Dalí was embraced by the surrealist group in Paris and became instrumental in its development. At this point the artist became inspired by Freud's psychoanalysis, which was concerned with the dreamlike fantasies of the subconsciousness, and symbolism became central to his paintings. Dalí's technique reflects the Old Masters and his perspective is rooted in realism. “The Persistence of Memory” from 1931 is the world's most famous surrealistic painting. Dalí's unique persona, spectacular paintings and extensive career have made him one of the most exciting figures of the twentieth century. The artist’s legacy includes more than 1,500 works.
In 1969, Salvador Dalí was commissioned to illustrate Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. Today, the collection of illustrations still stand as one of the greatest collaborations of the psychedelic and surreal.
