11th May Salvador Dali Day

Salvador Dali (11th May 1904 - January 1989), the Spanish artist  made his mark on the world with his wild Surrealist paintings. He sought to take great risks and proved how rich the world can be when you dare to embrace pure, boundless creativity. 

Dali described his art as “hand-painted dream photographs.” He is among the most instantly recognisable artists of the twentieth century, notorious not just for his work, but for his a one-of-a-kind persona and impeccably styled moustache.

Look for these picture books to enjoy Salvador Dali as a person and his art.

In Dali and the Path of Dreams author Anna Obiols and illustrator Joan Subirana tell the story of little Salvi who finds a key and goes on a wild adventure encountering long legged elephants, flying bananas, fried egg penguins and a snail tamer along the way. 

In  Just Being Dali  by Amy Guglielmo and Brett Helquist  we see that Salvador Dalí just couldn't help being himself. When he was little, he wasn't like the other children; he was a daydreamer who liked to play pretend. When he grew up, he became an artist, but he didn't want to make art that looked like everyone else's. He became the most famous painter of his time after he made a picture of melting clocks.

Salvador Dali  by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Mariona Tolosa Sistere tells how In his teenage years, Dali was introduced to Cubism and Surrealism, which had a profound effect on his life.

Then for fun read  Crocodali by Lucy Volpin for fun. Not really about Dali, but

Crocodali is the greatest artiste in the whole world, and you've just walked into his studio. He's too busy for signings today, but as you're here you might as well lend a hand. In this hilarious picture book, readers can get involved by tilting, shaking and blowing on the book. There's a laugh a minute as our protagonist loses control of the situation and watches his studio descend into chaos. This laugh-out-loud read is packed with painterly puns to entertain young and old - it's sure to make an impression...