Dali, with objects hanging by wires, cats, and water caught in surreal motion photographed by Phillip Halsman, 1948. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dal穩 i Dom癡nech, 1st Marqu矇s de Dal穩 de Pubol (May 11, 1904 - January 23, 1989) was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter. He was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. His expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. He was highly imaginative, and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior. His eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than his artwork, to the dismay of those who held his work in high esteem, and to the irritation of his critics. In 1989, while his favorite record of Tristan and Isolde played, Dal穩 died of heart failure at the age of 84.