Early recognition
of Dali's talent came with his first one-man show, held in Barcelona
in 1925. Dali described his paintings as `hand-painted dream photographs'
and had certain favorite and recurring images. In 1937, Dali visited
Italy and adopted a more traditional style. This together with
his political views (he was a supporter of General Franco) has
led him into a clash with the Surrealists and he expelled from
the Surrealist movement.
In 1940, Dali moved to the USA, and since that time he devoted
himself largely to self-publicity. 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 1974 Dali opened the Teatro
Museo Dali in Figueres, Spain. This was followed by retrospectives
in Paris and London at the end of the decade. After the death
of his wife, Gala, in 1982, Dali's health began to fail, and he
spent the rest his life in seclusion until he died on January
23, 1989 in Figueres.
