Salvador Dali was born in Figueras, Spain in 1904 to a prosperous family. In childhood, he showed an unusual talent for drawing and painting. In 1921, he was enrolled at the San Fernando Institute of Fine Arts in Madrid. However, his work did not please the authorities so he was expelled from the Madrid Academy.
In 1928, he went to Paris and met Pablo Picasso, who was a great influence on him. He was originally a Cubist artist but became a Surrealist in 1929. His wild, fantastic imagery was meticulously carried out in the detail of his work. One of his most famous paintings is the "Persistence of Memory" showing limp watches hanging on trees. The period from 1928 to 1938, is considered the artist's most productive period.
In 1935, he married Gala Eluard and they had a very devoted marriage till she died in 1982.
Dali sparked controversy because of his admiration for Hitler. However his reputation grew in the United States leading to a commission for the 1939 World's Fair in New York. Vogue found surrealism very significant and showed sketches by most of the surrealist artists, including Salvador Dali.
Dali made friends with designer Elsa Schiaparelli. One of the most well-known of his fashion accessories, is the Shoe hat. This was a collection of hats which Schiaparelli made in 1937, shaped like shoes, the original idea being suggested by Dali's wife Gala.
Dali contributed many ideas to Schiaparelli's jewelry and fashion design. One was a telephone handbag in black velvet, it's round dial embroidered with gold. Another was a Red Lobster, which was painted down a gown worn by the Duchess of Windsor.
Dali and Schiaparelli remained friends long after their collaboration was over and have been photographed together in the 50's and later.
In the late 40's he returned to live in Spain, dedicated himself to strict Catholicism and began producing work for the church. He also had an obsession with science. But by the late 60's Parkinsons Disease had begun to hamper Dali's work. After his wife died in 1982, he became severely depressed and needed 24 hour nursing in his last few years.
He died on January 23rd, 1989 at the age of 85. His body has been embalmed to last at least 300 years, in a glass dome. He left his considerable estate to the Spanish government.