Add Category
Updated
A paternity test has disproved a Spanish woman's claim that she is the daughter of surrealist artist Salvador Dali, the deceased painter's foundation has announced.
- Foundation says it's happy "absurd" claim is resolved
- Pilar Abel said her mother had an affair with Salvador Dali
- Dali's remains will now be returned to his coffin
The Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation said the Madrid court that ordered the DNA test informed it that Pilar Abel, a 61-year-old tarot card reader, has no biological relationship with Dali.
Ms Abel has long alleged her mother had an affair with Dali and claimed she had the right to part of his vast estate.
The foundation said it was happy the "absurd" claim had been resolved.
Calls to Ms Abel's lawyer went unanswered.
A judicial spokesman said the court has not made the test results public but has informed the parties in the lawsuit.
He spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with court rules.
The high-profile paternity claim led to the exhumation of Dali's embalmed remains so genetic samples could be taken.
Forensic experts removed hair, nails and two long bones in July.
The foundation, which manages Dali's estate on behalf of the Spanish state, said at the time of the exhumation that Dali's remains — including his famous moustache — were well-preserved and mummified after an embalming process almost 30 years ago.
The foundation said the painter's remains will be returned to his coffin, which is buried in the Dali Museum Theatre in the north-eastern Spanish town of Figueres, Dali's birthplace.
Ms Abel claimed her mother had an affair with Dali while working as a domestic helper in Figueres.
She said her grandmother revealed the family secret when Ms Abel was still young and that her mother confirmed the story years later.
Dali, who died in 1989 aged 84, was one of the 20th century's most famous and easily recognised artists.
His paintings include The Persistence of Memory, with its iconic images of melting clocks, and he also turned his hand to movies, sculpture and advertising.
AP/Reuters
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, death, human-interest, arts-and-entertainment, art-history, spain
First posted