He was born May 11, 1904 in the town of Figueres, Spain. His deceased older brother had also been named Salvador, and being called the 'reincarnation' of his late sibling impacted his self-perception and art. At age 12 he attended a drawing school and by age 15 he displayed his first public exhibition of his work. A year later, his mother passed away - another death that greatly shaped Dali as a person. Through his artistic upbringing, Dali experimented in many fields. He revered Picasso and in his youth pursued cubism as a unique style in Madrid to impress his peers. He also demonstrated mastery over realism, perhaps best evidenced by his work 'The Basket of Break', shown below.