Salvador Dalí - First Art Source

Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí was born in Northern Spain in 1904. His father, a prominent notary, supported his artistic talent by hiring impressionist painter Ramon Pichot to give him drawing lessons at age 10. Dalí later studied art at the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid, where he was expelled for refusing to take an exam from a professor who Dalí felt knew less about art than he did. Dali continued his education in Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. Dalí soon developed the surrealist style, based on the theories of Sigmund Freud, that made him famous. Soon after, he met his muse Gala (Elena Dimitrovna Diakonova) a Russian immigrant who later became his wife and business manager. Dalí visited the U.S. for the first time in 1934 by borrowing money from Picasso. He moved to the U.S. in 1940 to avoid World War II. Dalí was a notorious self-promoter, and was nicknamed Avida Dollars (an anagram of his name meaning "greedy for dollars") by fellow surrealist painter André Breton. He did film work with Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney and fashion designs for Coco Chanel.
After World War II, Dalí and Gala moved between New York, Paris, and Spain. Dali created etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, and engravings, as well as original paintings. Besides his surrealist paintings, Dalí is also known for the large historical works painted later in life. Dalí retired in 1980 when palsy kept him from painting. He died in 1989, and is the only artist to have two museums, one in his hometown in Spain and one in St. Petersburg, Florida, devoted to his work. Many fake Dalí prints exist, so it is especially important to have signed Dalí prints verified by a reputable source.