Salvador Dalí was known for his artistic talent and equally remarkable mustache. Twenty-seven years after his death, both his art […]
Salvador Dalí was known for his artistic talent and equally remarkable mustache.
Twenty-seven years after his death, both his art and his facial hair live on.
Officials discovered the artist’s thin mustache still pointing diagonally upward and outward when they exhumed his body, The Scientist reports.
While members of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation were shocked by the finding, forensic scientists say it’s common for hair to remain preserved for long periods in airtight conditions like crypts and coffins. This is thanks to keratin, a protein that makes up the majority of hair and can withstand digestive enzymes.
Dalí’s crypt was exhumed to collect hair, nail, and bone samples to carry out a paternity test for a woman who claims the painter is her father.