Domestic Madness: Salvador Dali Was Even More Unashamed in His Own Villa (13 photos)

On May 11th, one of the most famous figures of surrealism, the artist Salvador Dalí, was born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Dalí himself claimed to have been a genius even in his mother's womb.

By the age of 26, Salvador Dalí had so irritated his father with his strange behavior that he kicked him out of the house. For several months, the artist lived in rented apartments until he bought a fisherman's hut near the village of Port Lligat on the Mediterranean coast, paying for it with the money he received for his painting "The Old Age of William Tell."





Over forty years, Dalí and his wife, Gala, acquired several neighboring houses and created an exquisite villa with numerous outbuildings, labyrinths, and lawns. The walls were adorned with selected paintings by the genius, which he refused to sell. It was here that the couple returned after long journeys in search of peace and inspiration.

In 1955, photographer Charles Hewitt visited the artist to shoot a series of photographs titled "One Day with Salvador Dalí." Naturally, Hewitt took the opportunity to flaunt his extravagance in front of the camera.

Gala Dali.







Dali shows off his custom-made pince-nez.









An artist shows a nautilus shell to a neighbor boy.