Description
1940, SALVADOR DALÍ 36 YEARS OLD
On June 14, 1940, the German army occupied Paris. Before the Nazi troops blocked the Hendaye border crossing, Dalí and Gala left Arcaishon and arrived in Spanish territory. Dalí moved to Figueres to be with his family. “I found my country covered in ruins”, the painter said. The old fisherman’s hut in Portlligat had also suffered serious damage during the civil war. At that time, his absolute priority was to leave Europe. After a short stop in Madrid, Dalí met up with Gala in Lisbon to catch a ship destination America. They arrived in New York and stayed at Hampton Manor, the mansion of their friend and patron Caresse Crosby. This was the perfect environment for Dalí, who needed to isolate himself from the distractions to prepare the new paintings for the next exhibition at the Levy Gallery and where he continued to write his autobiography, The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí, in which he would tell how he had come to be the “savior” of modern art.
