Did you know that Salvador Dali, one of the most famous surrealist painters and prolific artists of the 20th century, collaborated with Walt Disney to produce a film? The project, titled, ‘Destino’ was never released till Dali was alive, but then Dali had created more than 135 storyboards, and 22 paintings for the animation. Later in 2003, the film finally hit the theatres and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
Born on May 11, 1904, in Spain, all his life Dali believed he was a reincarnation of his dead brother, who was also named Salvador and passed away due to gastroenteritis. His brother haunted him and later appeared in works like ‘Portrait of My Dead Brother’.
Having been interested in art since childhood, Dali studied at the Residencia de Estudiantes (Students’ Residence) in Madrid and became associated with the Madrid avant-garde group Ultra. Having been strongly influenced by Cubism, Freud, and Futurism, Dali started utilising surrealist concepts in his paintings.