Middle of the Road
Luis Bunuel (below) and Dali produced the film “Un chien andalou,” (An Andalusian Dog) in 1929. Many were shocked by the graphic nature of the film, but Andre Breton proclaimed it to be the “first Surrealist film.” Although this landed him a place in the prestigious Parisian Surrealist circle, his welcome wore out quickly.
While in Paris, Dali met Paul Eluard , a French poet and active affiliate of the Surrealist movement, and his wife Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, nicknamed Gala. Dali and Gala were instantly intrigued with one another. They began spending a lot of time together and were soon lovers. Gala became his muse and the focus of many of his paintings.
Dali often clashed with Andre Breton, a Surrealist leader, and other members of the official Surrealist
circle over the content of his paintings and the right-wing views he sometimes advocated. Dali’s statements on political matters, in particular his fascination with Hitler, struck a false note in the context of the Surrealist ethic. The group was predominantly Marxist
, which left his relations with them increasingly strained.
Dali and Gala were married in a civil ceremony in Paris, on Jan. 30, 1934. They would spend the rest of their lives together.
His painting, “The Enigma of William Tell ” - where an image of Lenin is used in a “mocking fashion,” was exhibited in 1934 as well. This lead to another rift with the Surrealists. As the war approached, the apolitical Dali was basically shunned by the group.
He did, however, exhibit works in international Surrealist exhibitions throughout the decade but by 1940, Dali was moving into a new type of painting with a preoccupation with science and religion.
Dali and Gala escaped from during World War II, spending 1939-48 in the United States. Dali used this time to cultivate his persona as an eccentric. Breton coined a brilliant anagram for Dali’s name: Avida Dollars, which more or less translates into “eager for dollars.” Dali’s answer was: “The only difference between me and the Surrealists is that I am a Surrealist.”
However, the early years of Dali’s career were very important years for the artist. He created his most famous painting “Persistance of Memory ,” which solidified his reputation as a Surrealist. The Museum of Modern Art in New York gave Dali his first major retrospective exhibit in 1941. This was followed in 1942 by the publication of Dali’s autobiography, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dali.” In collaboration with the director Luis Bunuel, he made a Surrealist film titled “L’Age d’Or” and he contributed a dream sequence to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” in 1945. He also wrote a novel in 1944 titled “Hidden Faces.”
Apart from painting, film and writing Dali’s collection includes sculpture, book illustration, jewelry design and theater work.