The remains of Spanish artist salvador dali were exhumed Thursday in efforts to prove his paternity of 61-year-old Pilar Abel, a local fortune teller and tarot card reader. Dali’s remains were so perfectly intact, even his signature mustache was in place in its “ten-past-ten” position (referring to the hands on a clock).
Exhumation request granted for paternity test on Salvador Dali
The story of the paternity test was reported in June after Abel won her case in a Spanish court to have Dali exhumed for DNA testing. Abel believes her mother had an affair with the surrealist artist and that she is Dali’s only child.
Dali and his wife Gala had no children during their marriage, which was a relatively open affair. Abel was told by her grandmother that the artist was her father and reportedly looks very similar to Dali, but minus the mustache, as she joked. There is definitely a similarity in her nose, which can be seen below.
Si Pilar Abel es hija del pintor, entonces tendrá derecho a la legítima, que es un 25% de la herencia https://t.co/9KhJ4UOsc1 pic.twitter.com/EDlHrSNaDB
— La Vanguardia (@LaVanguardia) July 21, 2017
Exhumation performed on Salvador Dali’s remains
The exhumation finally happened at 10:20 pm on Thursday, when forensic experts opened Dali's tomb in the Dali Theater-Museum in Figueres, Spain, his home town, 28 years after his death.
It was not an easy task, as workers had to remove a slab weighing over a ton from the tomb to access the artist’s remains. Once they accessed his remains, they found Dali’s body to be perfectly intact, including his signature mustache.
Salvador Dali's coffin was opened for DNA paternity testing today https://t.co/vUWKBXobZT
— TIME (@TIME) July 20, 2017
The man who embalmed Dali’s body 28 years ago was at the tomb when the artist was exhumed Thursday night.
Narcis Bardalet told a local radio station Dali was lying with his face covered with an exquisite silk handkerchief, just as he was when he buried. He said when he removed the handkerchief he was happy to see Dali’s iconic mustache perfectly preserved and still in the "10-past-10" position, as Dali had wanted. Bardalet said it was a miracle.
Lluis Penuelas Reixach of the Salvador Dali Foundation said it was a “moving moment,” while confirming DNA samples had been taken of Dali’s skin, hair, two long bones, and a nail. The DNA samples will now be sent to Madrid where the necessary tests will be made.
Salvador Dali's remains were dug up for a paternity test. His mustache is still intact https://t.co/LuukSsLhBT
— TIME (@TIME) July 21, 2017
According to a report by The Local, a crowd gathered to watch as officials entered the building to perform the exhumation in the Dali Theater-Museum, which the artist had himself designed. Cloths had been placed in strategic places to prevent drones capturing photos of the process.
Maria Lorca, 84, the former mayor of the city at the time of Dali’s 1989 death told the media the exhumation of the artist brought back a lot of feelings, as it reminded her of the day of Dali’s death.
Lorca added that the eccentric artist would have loved the general atmosphere outside the museum during his exhumation, saying it would have made him feel at home.
If DNA tests are confirmed, his daughter is set to be rich
Now all that remains is to find out whether Dali was, indeed, Abel’s father. If the results of the DNA tests come back positive, she is set to receive 25 percent of Dali’s vast fortune. Currently, the surrealist artist’s estate is in the hands of the state, as he had no heirs when he died. The estate includes several properties and many of the artist’s paintings, valued at around $460 million. As noted by El Pais, the Salvador Dali Foundation had fought against the exhumation, saying it was unnecessary and uncalled for, while the foundation is likely to lose a lot of funding if Abel is confirmed to be Dali’s daughter.
