Salvador Dalí in the United States

Abstract

This study on Dalí in the United States examines the links between this Spanish Surrealist and American culture—a symbiotic relationship that would prove instrumental to the artist’s success and subsequent recognition as a global cultural figure. In this sense, this monograph offers an innovative and broader-than-usual perspective on the painter from Empordà, who is most often considered within the context of his European cultural ties: Catalan, Spanish, or even French. Dalí himself recognized: “Only America was wealthy enough, had enough fresh intelligence and available energy to fulfill my hypertrophic self and put up with my whims.” He was not mistaken; the United States would bring Dalí the stardom he desired—a land of dreams the artist succeeded in conquering and captivating forever. The chapters of this study analyze his stay in the country, from the moment he arrived to his periods in Virginia, New York, and the West Coast. They reveal some of the circumstances, methods and keys to Dalí's success, as well as the stages of an evolving body of work that would find perpetual renewal, enrichment and universal appreciation on North American soil.