Widely considered one of the most riveting, eccentric and prolific artists of the twentieth century, Salvador Dalí is known for his flamboyant and multi-dimensional Surrealist style. Like many of his Surrealist contemporaries, Dalí was heavily influenced by the psychoanalytic writings and theories of Sigmund Freud, exploring symbolic dreams, sexual fetish and autobiographical imagery in his paintings, sculptures, readymades and mixed media work. Through an invented language of symbols that included melting clocks, bureau drawers, and bizarre animals, Dalí explored the tortured landscape of his own subconscious, pulling in reference from Dadaism, Cubism and politics. The artist employed a personalized method he referred to as "paranoiac-critical," which included long hours, and manic eruptions of painting, designed to connect him to automatism—Andre Breton’s theory of subconscious creation.

Some of Dalí’s most influential works include The Persistence of Memory (1931), which depicts melting clocks in a desert-like dreamscape of abstract space. His film Un Chien Andalou (1928) is infamous for its shocking scene of bodily harm, and Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) (1954) re-contextualizes the crucifixion of Jesus. Known for their otherworldly color, and erotic nature, Dalí’s works combined familiar and foreign qualities to produce highly psychological allusions. Throughout his career, Dalí also created many important sculptural works, Lobster Telephone (1936), collaborated with filmmakers Luis Bunuel and Alfred Hitchcock, designed jewelry, sets for theater, and worked in fashion design.

Dalí’s works are found in major museum collections across the world including the Metropolitan Museum, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Guggenheim, New York. There are several museums dedicated to his work across the world such as The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Figueres Dali Theatre and Museum, Catalonia. 

Image courtesy of Wallector