The exhibition Salvador Dalí – Surrealist! includes a series of water colour illustrations produced by Dalí in 1945 for Benvenuto Cellini’s autobiography. Dalí’s interest in the scientific and technical axis of time constituted a recurring motif in his work. By adapting several scientific discoveries in his art Dalí also created his own individual style.

Although Dalí was expelled from the Surrealist movement at the end of the 1930s, he nevertheless became one of its best-known exponents. The works on exhibition reflect not only Dalí’s imaginative talent but also his mastery of different techniques. Dalí was an all-round genius, a master of many art forms: besides painting, drawing, sculpture, and compilations, he wrote extensively, created glass objects and jewellery, designed theatre sets, clothes, advertisements – doing everything imaginatively, surprisingly and provocatively.

During the 1930s Dalí spent several periods in the United States and lived there uninterruptedly from 1940-48. His eccentric personality was captured in the black and white photographs of the German-born photographer Eric Schaal (1905-1994). Schaal worked with Dalí from 1937 until 1942.

On display are a number of other documentary photographs relating to the exhibition as well as the film, Dogs of Andalusia (1929), made by Dalí and Luis Bunuel.

The exhibition has been realised in co-operation with Fundaciò Gala-Salvador Dalí. All the works come from the Teatre-Museu Dalí collection in Figueres.