"Les éléphants" (1948) by Salvador Dalí, limited reproduction

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) is one of the most striking artists in Spain and is the main representative of surrealism. His provocative works inspired the masses and shocked the art world. Dalí understood painting as an expression of his imagination, shaped by dreams and hallucinations as well as Freud's psychoanalysis. After an exclusion from the Academy in Madrid, he nevertheless studied the old masters, which was well received in his pictures. In 1928 he joined the circle of surrealists and met Gala, who became his muse. In addition to painting, Dalí also dealt with film, including with Buñuel for "The Andalusian Dog". After an eight -year stay in the USA - where he worked in fashion and advertising - he returned to Spain and integrated religious and mythological topics to his work. His bizarre visual language combines absurd objects with surrealistic elements and creates a fantastic reality that, despite its abstractness, has amazing realism. Provocation remained a central element of his artificial version.