The legendary figure cut a wide swath, sported a ubiquitous handlebar moustache, possessed mischievous twinkling eyes and had an innate flair for publicity.
Known for his dripping clocks, surreal depictions of Christ, and a myriad of eye-catching avant-garde prints which have circulated the globe in major collections - of course - the man is Salvador Dali!
The eccentric artist with the showy public persona was one of the greatest surrealist painters of our time and best known for his ability to translate "dreams" into artwork.
According to Dali, the distinctive creations were for all intents and purposes "hand painted dream photographs".
Dali was born the son of a successful notary in Figuera (Spain) and enrolled in his first drawing classes when he was ten years old.
Undoubtedly, the influence of his first art teacher – well-known Spanish impressionist painter, Ramon Pichot – impacted the early stages of his development.
Later, Dali studied art formally at the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid. When he failed to graduate for declining to take his final examinations a controversy arose.
The mercurial businessman poohed-poohed the scandal by arguing to everyone within earshot that he was more "qualified than those examining him".
When he uprooted himself and moved to Paris, he quickly fell in with noted artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro and immediately established himself as a principal figure in a "surrealist" group of painters headed up by Andre Breton (often referred to as the "schoolmaster" of surrealism).
Salvador Dali unveiled his first one-man show in New York in 1933.
A few years later on the heels of success, Dali elected to seek permanent residence in the United States in 1940 to avoid the war.
Spectacular exhibitions – a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York – for instance, put him on the "artistic" map.
Dali was drawn to the cultural elite like a moth to flame.
In time, Dali was such an iconic figure in art circles that celebrities like Jack Warner and Helena Rubinstein shelled out large sums for the commission of portraits.
Famed followed!
Unknown to many, Dali was also a capable sculptor, filmmaker, and writer.
At the end of this week a much-anticipated exhibition is being unveiled at the Los Angeles County Museum of art sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
While Dali's main focus was on painting he also maintained a deep connection with film as an artistic medium.
On occasion, the visionary artist collaborated with the likes of such film greats as Luis Buñuel and Alfred Hitchcock.
In the words of the LACMA curators - "Dali: Painting & Film" - aims to illustrate the cinematic influences and elements that are present in Dalí's work as well as the contribution he made to cinema.
The dynamic exhibition brings together a variety of key pieces from Dalí's oeuvre and incorporates painting, film, photography, sculpture, and texts.
The stellar collection was organized by the Tate Modern (London) in collaboration with the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres (Spain) and the Los Angeles County Museum.
The exhibition was curated by Dawn Ades, Montse Aguer, Fèlix Fanés, Matthew Gale, and Helen Sainsbury.
LACMA Curators were Ilene Fort (American Art) and Sara Cochran (Modern Art).
The Los Angeles presentation was made possible in part by LACMA’s Wallis Annenberg Director’s Endowment Fund and was also vigorously supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Salvador Dali quote,
"The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot."
LACMA will obviously explore Dali's work in full bloom...
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