A geneticist who helped analyse Salvador Dalí’s remains after the artist’s 2017 exhumation has proposed sequencing his DNA to investigate possible genetic influences on creativity and personality. Antonio Alonso says extracts left over from the paternity test may still be held by Spain’s National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences.
The exhumation was ordered by a judge to determine whether Dalí was the father of Pilar Abel, who claimed to be his daughter. Alonso’s team found no biological relationship. The samples included teeth, a fingernail, hair and parts of the artist’s legs, although Alonso says DNA testing required only dental roots and a nail.
After the testing, Alonso suggested studying Dalí’s full genome. He argues that it could offer a chance to examine genetic networks associated with creativity and personality-related conditions. He also cautions that genes are not the sole influence on creativity, pointing to environmental factors such as education.
Alonso first put the idea to the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation in 2017, but it was not taken up. The foundation, which says it is solely responsible for the artist’s remains, continues to oppose the proposal. It says the project raises sensitive ethical, legal and scientific questions and that it does not intend to promote or support it.
Dalí had a long-standing interest in DNA and its scientific significance. In 1963, he created a monumental work honouring the discovery of the molecule’s double-helix structure. Art historian Jaime Brihuega, curator of a Dalí exhibition at Madrid’s Thyssen Museum, has said he believes the artist would have welcomed research into his DNA.
Dalí’s remains were returned to his tomb in March 2018. Alonso says the DNA extracts left over from the paternity analysis remained in The Institute’s custody indefinitely, and he is urging the foundation to reconsider whether they could be used for further research.
Sources: El País Ciencia.