Biography
In 1904, Salvador Dalí was born in Figueres. At the age of 12, he spent some time with an intellectual and artistic family. The family owned some impressionistic paintings and that when Dalí decided that he wanted to be a painter himself.
After spending four years at the municipal drawing school in Figueres, Dalí went to Madrid to study at the Fine Arts School in Madrid. Shortly after that he won his first prize when taking part in a competition and he decided to continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.
However he got expelled from the school. He returned to Figueres, where he learned the technique of etching and returned to Madrid the next schoolyear to do over the academic year he had started earlier.
From 1925 on, Dalí started taking part in many exhibitions. In the beginning he mainly stayed in Madrid and Barcelona to present his work, but after that he started travelling. During his trips he met artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, René Magritte and André Breton and got influenced by Impressionism, Cubism, Purism, Futurism and of course Surrealism.
The late 20’s became a very varied period for Dalí, he made movies, he wrote a book and of course he continued painting. By the beginning of the 30’s, he had found his own typical and distinctive style, which was appreciated by many all over the world. Especially big cities such as Paris, London, New York and even Tokyo welcomed his expositions.
Although his typical style never really changed they are some periods in his work that have special characteristics. In the 50’s for example, he painted a lot of religious and mytical themes. In the late 60’s, Dalí’s works clearly demonstrate his interest for holography and science.
Dalí is especially known as a painter, but he was never scared of trying new things. He also made sculptures, he designed costumes and decors for ballets, he created jewellery, he designed buildings, made the illustrations for books, designed the logo for Chupa Chups and he also was a talented writer. He wrote a lot of books, he wrote prologues and epilogues for books of famous writers and he also wrote many articles for magazines and newspapers.
Dalí & Girona
As Dalí lived in the province of Girona for a great part of his life, there are many places to visit there for Dalí lovers. 3 places were of main interest in Dalí’s life and are very interesting cultural attractions nowadays.
The Museum-Theatre is situated in Figueres, the town were Dalí was born in 1904 and where he died 85 years later. It is a rather big city at the north-eastern end of Catalonia near to France.
The museum used to be the town’s municipal theatre, but it was partially destroyed by a fire and abandoned after this. In 1974 Dalí converted it into his theatre-museum. Later the red and gold castle was extended by adding the Torre Galatea what makes it the biggest surrealist object Dalí ever created.
At the museum you can find a great amount of work from Dalí, varying from his earliest artistic creations to his last works. Next to this, you can also find Dalí’s private art collection, with works by Meissonier, Fortuny, Gerard Dou, El Greco, …
Contact:
Plaza de Gala y Salvador Dalí, s/n
17600 Figueres (Girona)
Tel. +34 972 67 75 81 & Fax +34 972 50 16 66
In 1969, Dalí bought the medieval castle Púbol as a gift for his wife and muse Gala. When Gala died in 1982, Dalí moved to the castle and was appointed Marquis of Púbol. Dalí lived in the castle until there was a fire in 1984.
Nowadays, you can see some of the work of Dalí at the castle. Also the crypt in which Gala is buried and her private rooms are open to visitors. You can admire her collection of haut couture dresses and the Cadillac that belonged to the couple.
Contact:
Calle Gala Dalí, s/n
17120 Púbol (Girona)
Tel. +34 972 67 75 05 & Fax +34 972 48 86 53
The House-Museum consists of fishing huts that Salvador Dalí and his wife Gala reformed to install a home and a workshop. The result is a kind of labyrinth full of different levels. Visitors can see Dalí’s workshop, his library, his home and gardens.
Contact:
Calle Port Lligat, s/n
17488 Cadaqués (Girona)
Tel. +34 972 25 10 15 & Fax +34 972 25 10 83
