Salvador Dali was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist painter born in Figueres. He was a prolific printmaker with an output of over 1,500 prints across an artistic career spanning more than sixty years — undoubtedly one of the finest graphic artists of the 20th century.
Dali was highly imaginative, with an affinity for unusual and grandiose behaviour intended to draw attention to himself, a manner that sometimes drew more public notice than his artwork.
In 1926 Dali made his first visit to Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, whom he revered. As he developed his own style over the following years he made a number of works heavily influenced by Picasso and Joan Miro. In 1929 he met his muse and future wife Gala, who he said saved him from madness — some of the most affectionate and sensual depictions in Western art are his portraits of her.
