Blog

Salvador Dali’s body will be exhumed this week for paternal testing. Wait, what?

On July 20th the artist’s body will be exhumed from its elaborate tomb in his hometown of Figueres, Spain to prove (or not) that he had a daughter. Could this get more surreal?

Pilar Abel, a 58-year-old astrologist and tarot reader from Gerona (Spain) has filed a paternity suit in a Madrid court, claiming she is the daughter of the Spanish artist. Did she see it in the stars?

Anyway, here are the (not so many) facts.

According to Abel, her mother used to work as domestic help for a family who would often vacation in Cadaqués, where Dalí also had a house. The surrealist painter and the young maid became friendly, and their friendship soon developed into an affair, the result of which is allegedly Pilar, who was born in 1956.

It is said that the initial lawsuit included various testimonies of the village neighbours, who all confirmed the fact of the affair.

Pilar started her pursuit for a father a while ago – in 2007 and 2008 she already had some DNA tests done using hair and skin remains from Dalí’s death mask, but the results proved inconclusive.

Interestingly, Abel’s lawyer is Francesc Bueno, who is well known in the Spanish media for having represented Albert Solá, a waiter who filed and lost a paternity suit against Juan Carlos I of Spain, the King of Spain at the time.

Well, that’s one real-life story to follow closely!

kaczynskal

Recent Posts

.ART Team goes to Art Basel Miami Beach 2025

Art Basel Miami Beach brought together artists, technologists, collectors, and cultural infrastructure builders from around…

2 days ago

The Mazyn Experience: Photography as Remembering

Titile image: Martyna Maz,  Portrait of a Comedian Martyna Maz (martynamaz.art), the artist behind Mazyn Life,…

2 weeks ago

The Strategy of the Detour: Drama Therapy with Nicolas Bézier

Drama therapist, director, and visual artist Nicolas Bézier (nicolasbezier.art) speaks about his journey from painting…

3 weeks ago

Breaking, Making, and Starting Again: An Interview with Phil Hansen

Above: Phil Hansen in his studio, photo by Katie Marek Phil Hansen has built a…

1 month ago

Pastel, Passion, and Perseverance | Interview with Barbara Rachko

When Barbara Rachko (barbararachko.art) joined our “Women in the Arts” webinar, she declared with conviction: “I just keep…

1 month ago

How 100 Collectors Is Redefining the Art of Collecting

Above: Curator-led tour of Art Basel with Jeni Fulton, Basel, June 2025 In an era…

2 months ago