Dalí was a painter, sculptor, draftsman, and lithographer. He also contributed to filmmaking. The artist who called himself Salvador Dalí was born Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. His mother was a devout Roman Catholic who encouraged his artistic interests. Dalí had an older brother, also named Salvador, who died nine months before his birth — a lingering presence that haunted Dalí throughout his life. Ramon Pichot, a painter and friend of Dalí’s father, first introduced him to the world of art.
He studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid and began exhibiting his work almost immediately. During his studies, Dalí met his lifelong friends Federico García Lorca and Luis Buñuel.
By the late 1920s, Dalí had become involved with Surrealism. In 1930, he wrote about his theory of the “paranoiac-critical method.” Dalí lived in France during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). He met Sigmund Freud in London in 1938, whose theories of the unconscious had a profound impact on Dalí’s art.
Dalí’s sympathies toward the Third Reich led to his expulsion from the Surrealist group. During World War II, he lived in the United States, where he wrote his autobiography and produced many commissioned portraits. He returned to Spain in 1948, reaffirming his Catholic faith and evolving stylistically.
Dalí’s wife Gala, originally from Russia, was his most significant muse. She also had connections with artists such as Max Ernst, Louis Aragon, André Breton, and Paul Éluard.
His final major exhibition during his lifetime took place in 1979 at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Dalí’s prolific body of work reflects not only Surrealism but also influences from Abstract Expressionism, photographic realism, and Pop Art.
\Salvador Dalí died on January 23, 1989. He is buried in the crypt beneath the stage of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain.
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Authenticating Dalí lithographs, drawings, sculptures, and paintings always requires careful, scholarly research. Our process involves locating and verifying references, provenance, and documentation to establish the legitimacy of each work.
The complete archives of Dalí’s oeuvre are held across three countries—Spain, France, and the United States. Our art historians are strategically located near the Dalí Museum Library in St. Petersburg, Florida, in Paris, France, where most of his lithographs were printed, and in Spain, including a native Catalan speaker to manage extensive local materials.
With over 21 years of specialized experience, we research, document, and authenticate every type of Dalí creation, no matter how rare or obscure.
Authenticating Dalí’s drawings and paintings is often straightforward. However, verifying prints and bronzes can be more complex. Dalí’s practice of granting reproduction rights to multiple parties led to confusion about legitimate editions—especially in his sculptures and bronzes.
His lithographs pose an even greater challenge: Dalí signed between 300,000 and 350,000 blank lithograph sheets, meaning he had no direct control over what was later printed above his signature.
To begin, please send us high-quality photographs of your work. We will analyze, then provide you with a detailed, documented response.
Art Experts is an American art authentication, certification, and appraisal company founded in 2002. The firm is composed of 50 highly educated art historians based in the US, UK, Europe, and Asia.
