A Madrid judge has ordered the exhumation of the body of Salvador Dalí to adjudicate a paternity claim on behalf of Maria Pilar Abel Martínez, who has reason to believe that she is the famed surrealist’s daughter. 

Born in 1956 in Girona, Spain, Martínez, who is a tarot card reader by trade, has contended that her mother had an affair with the famous artist in 1955. Dalí was married to Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, whom the artist invariably referred to as Gala, his “muse.” (As we’ve written before, Dalí notably published an elaborate and bizarre cookbook dedicated to Gala.)
 

Maria Pilar Abel Martínez
 
At 61 years of age, Martínez says the affair took place in Cadaqués while her mother, Antonia, was working as a maid for a family that spent time in the town. She also jokes that the only thing she’s missing to look identical to Dalí is “a mustache.” You can judge that resemblance for yourself.

Without any existing biological remains from which to draw DNA, the judge has agreed to permit an exhumation to settle the issue of…. Dalí‘s issue (sorry).

Martínez has already undergone two paternity tests but never received the results. Dalí died in 1989 and is buried at the museum dedicated to his work in the Spanish town of Figueres in northeastern Catalonia.

Dalí did not have any other children and left his entire estate to his country of birth. The significance of the paternity suit, unsurprisingly, revolves around inheritance. If paternity is established, Martinez would legally be allowed to use his name and would also be entitled to part of his estate.
 
via Vice News
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
At last, Salvador Dali’s insane sex-cookbook is getting republished