Salvador Dali Family Tree: The Story Behind Surrealism's Most-Famous Painter

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, born 11 May 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain, was the most-famous Spanish Surrealist — known for The Persistence of Memory (1931), The Sacrament of the Last Supper (1955), and the Dali-mustache. He died 23 January 1989 in Figueres at age 84.

The Family's Roots: A Catalan Bourgeois Family

The Dalí family was a Catalan bourgeois family from Figueres.

His Parents

Father: Salvador Dalí i Cusí (1872–1950) — strict notary in Figueres; non-religious; supportive of arts but extremely strict about finances and discipline.

Mother: Felipa Domènech i Ferrés (1874–1921) — daughter of a successful Barcelona haberdasher; affectionate; encouraged Salvador's painting from his youth; died of cancer when Salvador was 16.

His Older Dead Brother

Salvador Galo Anselmo Dalí (1901–1903) — Salvador's elder brother who died of gastroenteritis at age 2, nine months before Salvador's own birth. The parents named the new baby "Salvador" after his dead brother; Dalí grew up believing he was a reincarnation of his brother — a defining psychological factor of his life and art.

His Sister

Anna María Dalí (1908–1989) — sister; subject of many of Dalí's early paintings (Figure at a Window 1925); later wrote Salvador Dalí Seen by His Sister (1949), causing a permanent rift.

His Wife and Muse: Gala

Elena Ivanovna Diakonova "Gala" (1894–1982) — Russian; ten years older than Salvador; previously married to French poet Paul Éluard. Gala became Salvador's muse and manager. Married Salvador civilly in 1934 and religiously in 1958. Died 10 June 1982.

Their Children

None. Gala remained Salvador's only major relationship.

The Dalí Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Catalan bourgeois; Figueres.

Father: Salvador Dalí i Cusí (1872–1950) — Figueres notary.

Mother: Felipa Domènech i Ferrés (1874–1921) — died when Salvador was 16.

Older Dead Brother: Salvador Dalí (I) (1901–1903) — died at 2; Salvador (II) named after him.

Sister: Anna María Dalí (1908–1989).

Wife: Gala Diakonova-Dalí (1894–1982; m. 1934; previously wife of Paul Éluard).

Children: None.

Salvador Dalí:

  • Born 11 May 1904, Figueres
  • Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid: 1922–26 (expelled twice)
  • Met Federico García Lorca and Luis Buñuel
  • Un Chien Andalou (1929, with Buñuel)
  • Joined the Surrealists in 1929; expelled by André Breton in 1934 over disputes (Breton called him "Avida Dollars")
  • The Persistence of Memory (1931 — soft melting clocks)
  • The Sacrament of the Last Supper (1955); Christ of Saint John of the Cross (1951); The Hallucinogenic Toreador (1968–70)
  • Exile in USA: 1940–48 — became a US celebrity
  • Returned to Catalonia: 1948
  • Built the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres (opened 1974)
  • Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease: 1980; died of heart failure 23 January 1989, Figueres, age 84
  • Buried under the dome of his own theatre-museum

What the Dalí Family Story Teaches Us

A notary father. A mother who died when Dalí was 16. A dead older brother whose name Dalí carried — and who Dalí believed himself to be reincarnated from. A sister who became his subject and then estranged after publishing her memoir. A muse-wife who was 10 years older and previously married to one of Surrealism's founding poets. No biological children.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Dalí story carries the same lesson. Some families produce children named after dead siblings — and those children sometimes carry the weight of replacement. Salvador (II) named after Salvador (I) is on the Dalí family record alongside every Surrealist masterpiece. Write down which family names were inherited from lost members.

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