Body of Salvador Dali exhumed

MADRID, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The body of famous Spanish artist, Salvador Dali, was exhumed late on Thursday night and re-buried early on Friday morning in order for DNA samples to be taken with the hope of resolving a paternity claim against him.

Dali's body was taken from its resting place in the Dali Theater Museum in the town of Figueras in northern Spain and DNA samples were taken from hair, nails and two bones to fulfil a court order as part of an investigation to discover whether or a woman named Pilar Abel is his daughter, as she claims.

Although a court gave the go-ahead for the exhumation last month, the Dali Foundation opposed the move, calling it "totally uncalled for," as the artist had said he was infertile.

Abel's lawyer, Enrique Blanquez, confirmed that the results of the DNA tests could be ready in around a fortnight, although the trial to determine whether his client really is Dali's daughter, is not due to start until Sept. 18.

The operation to remove Dali's remains began at around 8 p.m. local time, with an hour and a half needed to lift the 1.5 tonne slab of stone sealing the grave before the artist's coffin was removed.

Mayor of Figueras, Marta Felip, who was allowed to view the process, confirmed the artist's mummified remains were in a good state of preservation allowing good samples to be taken.

Pilar Abel was born in Figueres in 1956 and has been insisting the artist is her father since 2007, explaining her mother had an affair with Dali while working on the Costa Brava, before then marrying another man.

If the DNA shows her claim is true, she would be allowed to use his surname and be entitled to a share of copyright royalties, although Dali left his estate to the nation.