(May 11, 1904 - Jan. 23, 1989)
Salvador Dalí was one of the most important painters of the 20th century, best known for his surrealist work identified by its striking, bizarre, dreamlike images, combined with his excellent draftsmanship and painterly skills influenced by the Renaissance masters. An artist of great talent and imagination, he had a love of doing unusual things to draw attention to himself which sometimes irked those who loved his art as much as it annoyed his critics, since his eccentric theatrical manner sometimes overshadowed his artwork in public attention.