Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was a Spanish surrealist artist. He was born in Figueres, Spain, in 1904. He painted strange, dreamlike scenes that look like they came from another world. He is one of the most famous artists of the 1900s.

Early Life

Dali showed talent for art as a child. He had a wild imagination and loved to be the center of attention. He studied at an art academy in Madrid. He was expelled for saying the teachers were not good enough to grade him.

Big Achievements

Dali's most famous painting is The Persistence of Memory, which shows melting clocks. He explored surrealism, which uses dreams and the unconscious mind as inspiration. He also made films, sculptures, and photographs. He built a museum in his hometown filled with his art.

Fun Facts

• Dali had a pet ocelot, a wild cat, that he walked through the streets of New York.
• He designed the Chupa Chups lollipop logo.
• His famous mustache was waxed and curled upward at the tips.

Did You Know?

Dali said he was inspired by the great artists of the past, especially Vermeer and Velazquez. He once said, 'I do not understand why, when I ask for a grilled lobster in a restaurant, I am never served a cooked telephone.'