Dimensions 70 cm x 50 cm 27.5" x 10.5" 1,000 pieces Salvador Dalí, The Persistence of Memory, 1931 ©Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dali/SOCAN (2022) About The Persistence of Memory One of the most recognizable work of Surrealism, this 1931 painting by Salvador Dalí is often referred to as “Melting Clocks”. Fairly small in size, it measures 9.5 inches x 13 inches or 24 cm x 33 cm. It was given by an anonymous donor to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, where it still hangs today. The soft melting pocket watch epitomizes Dali’s theory of “softness” and “hardness”, which was central to his thinking at the time.