Salvador Dalí's first experience of love  was firmly rooted in the strong emotional  family relationships of his youth, immortalised in penetrating, keenly observed, 'psychological' early portraits of his father and sister. In 1929, feeling increasingly controlled by his domineering, protective father, and uncertain of his future, Dalí first encountered Gala, a charismatic Russian emigrant who had already captivated and inspired many of the Surrealists, and who was to become his life-long partner until her death in 1982. She had a decisive influence on Dali's future career, which she guided to international success, as she took on diverse and multiple roles in their partnership. As model, wife, companion, adviser, muse and business manager, her presence in Dalí's life was all consuming. Dalí referred to Gala as 'my intimate truth, my double, my one,' and frequently signed his works 'Gala Salvador Dalí', a reflection of how united they had become as a couple. Gala is celebrated so often throughout Dalí's paintings and writings that she is a familiar feature of his iconography, often cast in mythological feminine roles such as the Sphinx, Leda and Gradiva.