ABOUT THE ARTIST

Legendary 20th century surrealist artist Salvador Dalí - renowned for his technical skill and eccentric nature - cultivated a life that was very much a work of art in and of itself. 

Born in Catalonia, Spain in 1904, Dalí received formal training in fine arts in Madrid. It’s there that he found a love of Cubism and avant-garde movements, which led him to leading the charge of the Surrealist group in 1929.

Having left Spain as a result of the Spanish Civil War, he found commercial success when he moved to the United States in 1940. 

The Persistence of Memory was completed in August 1931, and is said to be one of the most recognisable works of Surrealism. The iconic painting depicts the fickleness of time as a series of melting watches, in what Dalí described as Camembert cheese melting in the sun. 

Dalí’s repertoire included painting, graphic arts, design, sculpture, photography, fiction, poetry, advertising, and perhaps most famously film - having collaborated with the likes of Walt Disney Studios and Alfred Hitchcock.