Spanish court ordered Salvador Dalí's body to be exhumed on Thursday to get DNA samples for paternity test, in order to settle a paternity claim filed by a woman who claims to be his daughter. The results won't be ready until a month or two, but fans of the surrealist artist would be happy to know that Dalí’s iconic moustache is still intact, as the exhumation revealed.
Dalí is buried in a crypt beneath Dalí Theatre and Museum
Dalí is buried in a crypt beneath Dalí Theatre and Museum in his home town of Figueres. Two large white tents were set up over the crypt to prevent any photos taken. After using pulleys to lift a 1-ton stone slab, forensic experts extracted samples from the artist’s hair, nails, teeth and two long bones. Biological samples will be sent to a forensic laboratory in Marid.
The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation oversaw the whole process. The secretary general of the foundation said, Dalí’s embalmed body was well-preserved and his moustache was still intact at “10-past-10” position, referring to positions of the hands on a clock.
Pilar Abel claims to be Dalí’s biological daughter
Maria Pilar Abel Martínez, a 61-year-old tarot reader, said her mother had an affair with Dalí in Cadaqués, Catalonia and later gave birth to her.
Do you see any resemblances between Pilar Abel and Dalí?
The Spanish court had granted Pilar Abel the permission to extract DNA from traces of hair and skin from Dalí’s death mask, but the test results were inconclusive. As a result, the court ordered the exhumation of Dalí’s remains.