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Body of Salvador Dalí to be exhumed to help decide paternity suit

Salvador Dalí is considered one of the fathers of surrealist art
Salvador Dalí is considered one of the fathers of surrealist art Salvador Dalí is considered one of the fathers of surrealist art

A Spanish judge has ordered the remains of artist Salvador Dalí to be exhumed following a paternity suit by a woman.

Dalí, considered one of the fathers of surrealist art, died in 1989 and is buried in his museum in the north-eastern town of Figueres.

The woman, Pilar Abel, is a tarot-card reader from the nearby city of Girona.

Born in 1956, she says she is the offspring of an affair between Dalí and her mother Antonia.

Dalí was then married to his muse Gala.

A Madrid court statement says that DNA tests were necessary to make a genetic comparison.

If there is a match, the woman could pursue further action to use Dalí's name or claim part of his estate.

The Dalí Foundation can appeal against Monday's decision.