36 moments

1. Born in Figueres

   1904-05-11 · Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

   

   Dalí was born in the Catalan town that remained central to his identity and later became the site of his Theatre-Museum. Coordinates represent central Figueres rather than the precise room of birth.

2. Exhibits at his Figueres home

   1917-01-01 · Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

   

   The adolescent Dalí presented an early exhibition in the family home, marking the beginning of his public artistic trajectory. Only year-level dating and settlement-level location are supplied by the institutional timeline.

3. Arrives to study in Madrid

   1922-01-01 · Madrid, Spain

   

   Dalí arrived in Madrid to study at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts and entered the capital's avant-garde student milieu. Coordinates represent central Madrid; the timeline associates the arrival with attendance at the San Fernando academy.

4. Imprisoned in Girona

   1924-01-01 · Girona, Catalonia, Spain

   

   Dalí was detained in Girona on suspicion of liberal political activity and released without charge twenty days later. The source does not identify the specific detention facility.

5. Makes first Paris journey

   1926-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   Dalí's first Paris trip exposed him directly to the French art world; he visited Picasso and major artistic sites. Only year-level dating is supported for the overall journey.

6. Moves into the Paris art world

   1929-01-01 · Paris, France

   Dalí relocated to Paris while working on Un Chien Andalou and became established among the Surrealists.

7. Settles at Portlligat

   1930-08-20 · Salvador Dalí House, Portlligat, Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain

   

   Dalí acquired the first fisherman's hut from which his long-term home and studio at Portlligat would grow. Coordinates represent the present Salvador Dalí House complex.

8. Marries Gala in Paris

   1934-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   Dalí and Gala formalized the partnership that shaped his private life, public image, and international career. The institutional timeline supports only year-level precision; other references date the ceremony to 30 January 1934.

9. Makes first New York visit

   1934-11-01 · New York City, New York, United States

   

   Dalí's first journey to New York initiated decades of exhibitions, publicity events, winter stays, and commercial work in the city. Settlement coordinates represent New York City generally.

10. Appears at London Surrealist exhibition

    1936-01-01 · New Burlington Galleries, London, England, United Kingdom

    Dalí participated in the International Surrealist Exhibition, where his diving-suit lecture became one of his best-known public performances. The archive description documents Dalí at the 1936 exhibition; coordinates represent the former New Burlington Galleries vicinity.

11. Meets Sigmund Freud

    1938-07-19 · 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom

    

    Dalí achieved a long-held ambition by visiting Freud, showing Metamorphosis of Narcissus, and sketching the psychoanalyst during their only meeting. The source identifies Freud's London home; coordinates correspond to the present Freud Museum.

12. Arrives in wartime America

    1940-08-01 · United States

    

    Fleeing the European war, Dalí and Gala reached the United States, beginning an uninterrupted eight-year American residence. The evidence establishes arrival in the United States but does not specify the port in this quotation; coordinates are a representative national point.

13. Works at Disney Studios

    1946-01-01 · Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California, United States

    Dalí began sustained work with John Hench at Walt Disney's Burbank studio on the animated project Destino. Coordinates represent the historic Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank.

14. Visits Horst at Oyster Bay

    1947-01-01 · Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, United States

    

    Dalí was among the early guests at photographer Horst P. Horst's new Long Island home, reflecting his close ties to American fashion and photography circles. The source does not provide the home's street address; coordinates represent Oyster Bay.

15. Performs in the Bomarzo gardens

    1948-01-01 · Sacro Bosco, Bomarzo, Lazio, Italy

    

    Dalí used the fantastical gardens at Bomarzo as an ephemeral performance setting during his renewed engagement with Italy. Only year-level dating is supplied.

16. Travels to Rome

    1948-01-01 · Rome, Lazio, Italy

    

    Dalí traveled to Rome and met director Luchino Visconti in connection with the theatrical production of As You Like It. The source supports the journey but not a more precise date within 1948.

17. Returns to Portlligat

    1948-07-01 · Salvador Dalí House, Portlligat, Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain

    

    After eight years in the United States, Dalí returned to his Catalan coastal home and began re-establishing it as his principal studio.

18. Meets Pope Pius XII

    1949-11-23 · Vatican City

    

    Dalí attended a papal audience and showed Pius XII the first version of The Madonna of Portlligat while seeking recognition of his marriage to Gala. The Spanish quotation means that Dalí was received in audience by Pope Pius XII on 23 November.

19. Retreats to paint at Portlligat

    1950-01-01 · Salvador Dalí House, Portlligat, Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain

    

    Dalí spent five months in his Portlligat studio enlarging The Madonna of Portlligat, exemplifying his postwar return to sustained work on the Catalan coast. The source supports the season and year but not exact start and end dates.

20. Attends Venice's Ball of the Century

    1951-09-03 · Palazzo Labia, Venice, Veneto, Italy

    Dalí appeared at Carlos de Beistegui's celebrated Palazzo Labia masquerade, for which he and Christian Dior devised spectacular giant costumes. The page dates the ball to 3 September 1951; coordinates identify Palazzo Labia.

21. Paints in his Portlligat studio

    1955-01-01 · Salvador Dalí House, Portlligat, Cadaqués, Catalonia, Spain

    

    Dalí continued producing his nuclear-mystical works at Portlligat, including The Ascension of Saint Cecilia. The date is approximate, as explicitly stated by the source.

22. Performs at Park Güell

    1956-01-01 · Park Güell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Dalí staged a tribute to Antoni Gaudí at Park Güell, painting the silhouette of the Sagrada Família on a monumental canvas. This card represents the separately documented 1956 performance.

23. Marries Gala at Els Àngels

    1958-01-01 · Santuari dels Àngels, Sant Martí Vell, Catalonia, Spain

    Dalí and Gala celebrated a private Catholic marriage ceremony at the mountain sanctuary near Girona. Other references date the ceremony to 8 August 1958; this source supports year-level precision.

24. Studies paintings at the Prado

    1959-01-01 · Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain

    

    A documented visit placed Dalí before a portrait of the Infanta Margarita, continuing his lifelong engagement with Spain's Old Masters. The photographic caption supplies year-level dating.

25. Inspects the future Theatre-Museum

    1961-01-01 · Dalí Theatre-Museum, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

    Dalí visited the ruined Municipal Theatre in Figueres and publicly announced that it would become his museum. The institutional chronology dates this site visit to 1961.

26. Returns to perform at Park Güell

    1966-01-01 · Park Güell, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    

    In a second documented Park Güell performance, Dalí painted inside a large transparent dome with the collaboration of the Harkness Ballet. The Catalan quotation documents his Park Güell performances in 1956 and 1966; this card represents the latter.

27. Announces museum project in Paris

    1970-01-01 · Musée Gustave Moreau, Paris, France

    Dalí publicly announced construction of his Figueres Theatre-Museum from the Musée Gustave Moreau, a symbolically chosen Paris location. The institutional chronology supplies year-level precision.

28. Presides over Cleveland museum opening

    1971-03-01 · Beachwood, Ohio, United States

    

    Dalí presided over the opening of Reynolds and Eleanor Morse's first dedicated Dalí museum in suburban Cleveland. Coordinates represent Beachwood; the original museum building is not the present Florida museum.

29. Works inside the Theatre-Museum

    1973-01-01 · Dalí Theatre-Museum, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

    During construction of his museum, Dalí painted a Christ on the ceiling of the Palace of the Wind room. The photographic record is dated circa 1973.

30. Stages a Granollers happening

    1974-01-01 · Granollers, Catalonia, Spain

    Dalí conducted a happening in Granollers that was incorporated into the film project Impressions of Upper Mongolia. The source does not identify the precise Granollers venue.

31. Inaugurates the Dalí Theatre-Museum

    1974-09-28 · Dalí Theatre-Museum, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

    Dalí and Gala inaugurated the Figueres museum he conceived as an immersive, theatrical work of art and his principal public monument.

32. Arrives at the Centre Pompidou

    1979-12-18 · Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

    

    Dalí arrived for the formal opening of his major Paris retrospective, but a staff strike prevented him and the official party from entering. The article was published on 19 December and describes the attempted opening the previous day, 18 December 1979.

33. Moves to Púbol Castle

    1982-06-01 · Gala Dalí Castle, Púbol, Catalonia, Spain

    

    Following Gala's death, Dalí took up residence at Púbol, where he established his final studio and produced his last paintings. The move followed Gala's death on 10 June 1982; no exact moving day is supplied.

34. Burned in Púbol bedroom fire

    1984-08-01 · Gala Dalí Castle, Púbol, Catalonia, Spain

    

    An accidental electrical fire in Dalí's bedroom caused severe burns and ended his residence at Púbol Castle. Wikipedia and Foundation chronology place the fire in August 1984; this institutional page supplies only the year.

35. Relocates to Torre Galatea

    1984-08-01 · Torre Galatea, Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

    

    After hospitalization for the Púbol fire, Dalí moved to Torre Galatea, adjoining his Theatre-Museum, where he spent his remaining years. The Spanish quotation states that he moved to Torre Galatea in Figueres and remained there until his death; the month follows the documented August fire and hospitalization.

36. Dies in Figueres

    1989-01-23 · Figueres, Catalonia, Spain

    

    Dalí died in his native Figueres, closing a life geographically anchored by the town of his birth and the museum he created there. The institutional timeline supplies the place and year; the exact date, 23 January 1989, is independently established in the canonical biography.