In 1900, Spanish naturalist painter Joaquín Sorolla was awarded the Grand…
The Key to Dalí
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The Key to Dalí unfolds the exceptional story of Spanish scientist Tomeo L'Amo, who purchased an unknown painting in 1989 from an antique shop, strongly believing it to be an original Dalí. A 25-year-long journey begins, during which he investigates, invests enormous amounts, and travels around the world to consult with experts until he meets the one in Paris who changes his life.
Citation
Main credits
Fernández, David (film director)
Fernández, David (screenwriter)
Cavaller, Pau (screenwriter)
Mateu, Simó (screenwriter)
Other credits
Cinematography, Bosco Llona; editing, Simó Mateu; music, Carlos Duque, Enzo Nakamishi.
Distributor subjects
Culture + Identity; Catalan Studies; Iberian Studies; Visual Arts; HistoryKeywords
00:01:04.589 --> 00:01:05.626
All right.
00:01:06.701 --> 00:01:11.654
I don't usually do acting like this
or performance,
00:01:11.808 --> 00:01:15.034
dying my hair with pigments.
00:01:15.686 --> 00:01:17.837
I normally use them
00:01:17.952 --> 00:01:21.216
on canvases or paper
in my work studio.
00:01:22.982 --> 00:01:26.208
In this particular case,
I'm doing it to explain a story
00:01:26.438 --> 00:01:28.742
that began over 20 years ago.
00:01:31.354 --> 00:01:35.539
Back then,
my hair wasn't as grey as it is now.
00:01:55.891 --> 00:01:58.157
I happened to be in Girona.
00:01:58.234 --> 00:01:59.731
I was at my sister's,
00:01:59.808 --> 00:02:02.304
recovering
from a shoulder operation.
00:02:02.995 --> 00:02:05.146
Whilst walking
around the outskirts
00:02:05.261 --> 00:02:07.104
I saw an antique shop
00:02:07.219 --> 00:02:09.600
where everything
was all over the place.
00:02:09.907 --> 00:02:13.248
There were some mattresses,
and behind them
00:02:13.594 --> 00:02:14.669
I saw a canvas.
00:02:15.514 --> 00:02:16.781
I lifted it up
00:02:17.702 --> 00:02:19.392
and when I saw those colours,
00:02:20.621 --> 00:02:21.773
it rang a bell.
00:02:21.850 --> 00:02:23.347
I put it back
00:02:23.501 --> 00:02:25.651
and ran to the library in Girona.
00:02:25.805 --> 00:02:29.990
When I got there, I asked them
for the biggest book on Dalí.
00:02:30.797 --> 00:02:32.064
I leafed through it
00:02:32.141 --> 00:02:35.021
and when I saw
the works from his early era,
00:02:35.098 --> 00:02:36.134
I knew it was a Dalí.
00:02:36.518 --> 00:02:39.014
I ran back to the shop.
00:02:39.706 --> 00:02:41.971
I asked him how much
he wanted for the painting.
00:02:42.048 --> 00:02:43.699
He said, "25,000 pesetas."
00:02:43.776 --> 00:02:45.888
I didn't haggle, I just bought it.
00:02:46.464 --> 00:02:49.498
I went to my sister's house
absolutely over the moon.
00:02:49.690 --> 00:02:52.262
I showed the painting
to all my family.
00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:53.875
They asked what it was.
00:02:54.182 --> 00:02:56.794
We asked him
where he was going with it.
00:02:56.986 --> 00:03:00.096
He said that he liked it
and that it could be a Dalí.
00:03:00.941 --> 00:03:04.474
We know what Tomeu is like,
we let him get on with it.
00:03:04.704 --> 00:03:05.702
What could you say?
00:03:05.894 --> 00:03:08.659
I took it back to Mallorca
and kept it in my studio.
00:03:08.851 --> 00:03:10.656
That was when I realised
00:03:10.886 --> 00:03:15.341
I had a long way to go to prove
the painting's authenticity.
00:03:30.086 --> 00:03:32.813
This painting... this painting
00:03:33.197 --> 00:03:35.232
was born with a silver spoon.
00:03:36.461 --> 00:03:37.690
The inscription reads,
00:03:38.880 --> 00:03:42.336
"To my beloved teacher
00:03:43.142 --> 00:03:46.138
on the day of his birth.
00:03:47.021 --> 00:03:49.709
On 27-9-96.
00:03:50.016 --> 00:03:51.014
Dalí."
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:54.278
I realised there was
something interesting here.
00:03:54.624 --> 00:03:57.427
It was signed by Dalí,
00:03:58.579 --> 00:04:00.077
that had to be confirmed,
00:04:00.192 --> 00:04:02.650
but it included a dedication.
00:04:03.725 --> 00:04:06.067
I didn't know if it was surrealist,
00:04:06.144 --> 00:04:08.640
but at the time
it was incomprehensible.
00:04:09.062 --> 00:04:12.211
In the case of this painting,
the year '96 is a key date
00:04:12.518 --> 00:04:16.358
because Dalí
had not been born in 1896.
00:04:16.474 --> 00:04:17.894
He was born in 1904.
00:04:18.278 --> 00:04:19.622
And in 1996
00:04:19.776 --> 00:04:21.120
he was already dead.
00:04:21.734 --> 00:04:23.078
Consequently,
00:04:23.232 --> 00:04:25.190
if the date is '96,
00:04:26.112 --> 00:04:28.262
maybe it's impossible
this is a Dalí,
00:04:28.531 --> 00:04:32.870
provided that the date
refers to when the work was painted.
00:04:33.677 --> 00:04:35.366
Well, the first setback...
00:04:37.555 --> 00:04:40.205
was obviously
when the work was dated.
00:04:41.357 --> 00:04:44.928
But the real setback,
the real problem, came later.
00:04:45.427 --> 00:04:49.690
Today, much of the world media
has focused on the news
00:04:49.766 --> 00:04:53.107
of the death of Salvador Dalí
this morning in Figueres.
00:04:53.299 --> 00:04:57.830
His death came as a result
of recent failing health
00:04:57.984 --> 00:05:01.171
and heart and breathing problems
the artist had suffered.
00:05:01.517 --> 00:05:04.819
The only person who can certify
the authenticity of a work
00:05:04.896 --> 00:05:06.086
is the actual artist.
00:05:06.470 --> 00:05:08.736
Once the artist dies,
00:05:09.235 --> 00:05:11.808
nobody can guarantee it 100%.
00:05:12.115 --> 00:05:13.651
When I heard Dalí had died,
00:05:13.728 --> 00:05:17.414
it was a tremendous blow
to my research.
00:05:17.990 --> 00:05:20.141
When he comes across an obstacle
00:05:20.486 --> 00:05:22.330
he always has to overcome it.
00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:25.478
He always looks for solutions.
00:05:26.477 --> 00:05:29.741
And of course that led him
to open many doors.
00:05:30.048 --> 00:05:32.890
In 1988, I received a call
from Tomeu Payeras
00:05:32.966 --> 00:05:34.771
about restoring a painting.
00:05:34.848 --> 00:05:38.150
It was an oil painting
that measured 100 x 70 cm.
00:05:38.304 --> 00:05:41.760
It was in quite a bad state
due to humidity damage.
00:05:41.837 --> 00:05:44.256
Once the composition itself
was examined,
00:05:44.333 --> 00:05:47.674
it revealed
three visible layers of paint
00:05:47.827 --> 00:05:49.018
applied to the canvas.
00:05:49.133 --> 00:05:52.973
The first layer was very thin,
with virtually no texture.
00:05:53.126 --> 00:05:55.315
The second was quite textured.
00:05:55.392 --> 00:05:59.040
And the last layer,
the picture layer that we can see,
00:05:59.309 --> 00:06:03.034
has a different composition
from the underlying layers.
00:06:03.264 --> 00:06:04.877
So it could be said
00:06:04.954 --> 00:06:08.525
there were at least three
different paints on the same canvas.
00:06:08.717 --> 00:06:12.979
As the work was signed by Dalí,
or the name "Dalí" was on it,
00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:15.821
its authenticity
was always uncertain.
00:06:15.974 --> 00:06:17.702
While leafing through
00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:21.235
some of the interviews with Dalí
00:06:21.312 --> 00:06:24.730
in Unspeakable Confessions
by André Parinaud,
00:06:25.421 --> 00:06:29.107
I saw that Dalí gave a description
00:06:29.184 --> 00:06:30.989
of his "intrauterine paradise".
00:06:31.181 --> 00:06:36.826
So I just told Tomeu Payeras
that he could read it
00:06:36.941 --> 00:06:39.206
as a matter of interest.
00:06:39.667 --> 00:06:44.506
"In my mother's womb,
I already felt her anguish.
00:06:44.582 --> 00:06:47.501
To do so,
all I need is to close my eyes
00:06:47.501 --> 00:06:49.536
and I encounter once again
00:06:49.613 --> 00:06:52.646
the colours
of intrauterine Purgatory,
00:06:53.184 --> 00:06:56.294
the colours of Lucifer's fire,
00:06:56.371 --> 00:06:58.944
red, orange,
00:06:59.021 --> 00:07:01.670
yellow tinged with blue
00:07:01.747 --> 00:07:08.198
among viscous sperm
and phosphorescent egg white,
00:07:08.352 --> 00:07:12.461
in which I float like an angel
stripped of its gracefulness."
00:07:12.614 --> 00:07:15.763
The description Dalí made
of his intrauterine paradise
00:07:15.917 --> 00:07:18.451
is depicted in this painting.
00:07:19.258 --> 00:07:21.600
This encouraged me
to carry on investigating.
00:07:21.792 --> 00:07:24.250
Despite the fact that experts
like Santos Toroella
00:07:25.018 --> 00:07:27.821
did not regard it as a work
of Salvador Dalí,
00:07:27.898 --> 00:07:30.240
possibly because of the date "96",
00:08:25.997 --> 00:08:28.147
Tomeu carried on
00:08:28.301 --> 00:08:30.221
with his incessant work,
00:08:30.528 --> 00:08:33.254
aimed at proving the authorship
of the painting.
00:08:33.446 --> 00:08:35.866
And he sent
00:08:35.981 --> 00:08:38.861
the Gala-Dalí Foundation
in Figueres...
00:08:41.587 --> 00:08:44.774
a series of documents
that consisted of...
00:08:45.811 --> 00:08:48.538
a photocopy of the painting.
00:08:49.421 --> 00:08:53.530
He also sent a report drawn up
by the art restorer Sandalinas.
00:08:53.952 --> 00:08:54.950
In addition,
00:08:55.104 --> 00:08:57.792
he included a document
signed by himself
00:08:57.907 --> 00:09:00.710
in which he explained the reasons
00:09:00.941 --> 00:09:03.744
why he was completely convinced
00:09:04.013 --> 00:09:06.278
that this was a piece by Dalí.
00:09:16.224 --> 00:09:18.144
If cataloguing is requested
in Spain,
00:09:18.221 --> 00:09:22.752
it is made to the Dalí Foundation,
which has a specific commission.
00:09:22.867 --> 00:09:26.093
Clearly, there are more problems
if the work is unheard-of
00:09:26.170 --> 00:09:29.741
because there are no written
or visual records.
00:09:44.064 --> 00:09:45.677
I seem to remember
00:09:45.754 --> 00:09:48.058
that about six months
after sending
00:09:49.824 --> 00:09:52.589
all those documents
to the Foundation,
00:09:52.781 --> 00:09:55.354
Tomeu received a reply.
00:10:03.878 --> 00:10:05.414
"We regret to inform you
00:10:05.568 --> 00:10:09.869
that the commission members
do not have sufficient details
00:10:10.022 --> 00:10:11.981
to make a final positive assessment
00:10:12.058 --> 00:10:15.206
regarding the authenticity
of the painting."
00:10:15.667 --> 00:10:17.587
They didn't have enough details!
00:10:18.394 --> 00:10:19.891
All they had was a photo
00:10:20.083 --> 00:10:20.928
I sent them.
00:10:21.005 --> 00:10:23.232
They didn't want
to see the original.
00:10:23.386 --> 00:10:26.150
How can they have enough details
if they don't examine it?
00:10:26.726 --> 00:10:28.416
If all you have is a photo,
00:10:28.493 --> 00:10:32.870
I can tell you here and now,
don't bother coming.
00:10:32.986 --> 00:10:36.749
Don't spend money on hiring experts
00:10:36.864 --> 00:10:39.821
or in analysing whatever it is.
00:10:40.550 --> 00:10:42.086
You're wasting your money
00:10:42.662 --> 00:10:44.006
and your time, and mine.
00:10:44.275 --> 00:10:46.349
When a painting isn't catalogued
00:10:48.230 --> 00:10:49.728
and certified,
00:10:49.958 --> 00:10:53.875
the expert normally requests
to actually see it.
00:10:54.336 --> 00:10:57.293
You can never authenticate
a painting
00:10:57.446 --> 00:10:58.906
based on a photo.
00:10:59.328 --> 00:11:04.666
If a person knocks on my door
with a Miró painting
00:11:04.858 --> 00:11:07.238
and doesn't know
if it's genuine or not,
00:11:07.584 --> 00:11:09.466
they must immediately call
00:11:09.542 --> 00:11:11.539
either the Miró family
or ADOM in Paris.
00:11:11.731 --> 00:11:17.261
ADOM is the expert committee
on the works of Joan Miró.
00:11:17.606 --> 00:11:21.293
We automatically tell the person
to send us the painting
00:11:22.061 --> 00:11:23.674
and then we analyse it.
00:11:24.058 --> 00:11:26.093
After that,
00:11:26.861 --> 00:11:31.891
the seven members of ADOM
make a unanimous decision
00:11:32.774 --> 00:11:34.464
whether it is genuine
or a forgery.
00:11:49.325 --> 00:11:52.474
The Foundation's reply
really affected me.
00:11:53.741 --> 00:11:56.352
I wrapped up the painting
and stored it in my studio.
00:12:04.301 --> 00:12:07.450
I had serious health problems
in the '90s.
00:12:07.718 --> 00:12:09.062
Financial problems too.
00:12:09.638 --> 00:12:14.746
My salary as a biology teacher
wasn't enough to pay my debts.
00:12:15.437 --> 00:12:17.280
My health worsened
00:12:17.357 --> 00:12:18.854
and my hair turned grey.
00:12:19.661 --> 00:12:22.387
My building project in Pollença
ruined me.
00:12:23.078 --> 00:12:25.920
When I came here
I was absolutely broke.
00:12:26.189 --> 00:12:28.992
To top it off,
I had trouble with the house,
00:12:29.645 --> 00:12:32.410
court cases, problems...
00:12:33.178 --> 00:12:34.944
Everything got on top of me.
00:12:35.251 --> 00:12:36.864
He was granted the license.
00:12:36.941 --> 00:12:38.515
Tomeu went on to build...
00:12:38.784 --> 00:12:43.584
He built an extension onto the house
in line with the license.
00:12:44.198 --> 00:12:47.040
Later on, one of the neighbours
00:12:47.117 --> 00:12:49.459
took him to court.
00:12:50.150 --> 00:12:54.835
The final ruling
was unfavourable for Tomeu
00:12:54.912 --> 00:12:59.558
and he was forced to knock down
the extension he had built.
00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:01.786
Of course this situation,
00:13:02.093 --> 00:13:04.512
apart from causing him
financial problems,
00:13:04.589 --> 00:13:07.008
also caused him
serious health problems.
00:13:07.277 --> 00:13:12.307
Obviously, building a house
that might have cost twenty million
00:13:12.691 --> 00:13:14.995
and then being told to demolish it,
00:13:15.072 --> 00:13:17.837
which might cost another 10,
15 or 20 million,
00:13:17.990 --> 00:13:19.910
left him without a penny.
00:13:19.987 --> 00:13:21.446
He was left high and dry.
00:14:02.458 --> 00:14:06.182
Tomeu was in a bad way.
He was upset, nervous.
00:14:06.566 --> 00:14:11.174
Obviously, this meant
that for a quite a few years
00:14:13.709 --> 00:14:16.013
this situation made him put aside
00:14:16.781 --> 00:14:20.314
his research on the Dalí painting
and his efforts
00:14:20.467 --> 00:14:21.581
to confirm its authorship.
00:15:36.192 --> 00:15:38.342
Years went by and my health
00:15:38.458 --> 00:15:40.032
and general mood improved.
00:15:40.147 --> 00:15:42.221
So, I carried on investigating.
00:15:56.851 --> 00:15:58.694
I researched Salvador Dalí,
00:15:58.848 --> 00:16:01.152
I needed to get to know
this individual.
00:16:01.421 --> 00:16:02.918
I read his books,
00:16:03.072 --> 00:16:06.528
watched interviews with him,
studied his paintings carefully.
00:16:07.181 --> 00:16:09.946
I came across
a series of statements
00:16:10.368 --> 00:16:13.862
that would be very beneficial
to my research later on.
00:16:29.338 --> 00:16:30.720
The first one
00:16:31.334 --> 00:16:33.178
is what he says
00:16:33.370 --> 00:16:35.251
in his book Secret Life,
00:16:35.904 --> 00:16:39.053
when he talks
about his intrauterine memories,
00:16:39.398 --> 00:16:43.546
"I shall begin the story of my life
at its true beginning:
00:16:44.390 --> 00:16:46.579
my intrauterine life."
00:16:46.848 --> 00:16:48.960
With regard to the painting,
00:16:49.114 --> 00:16:53.069
in his book Diary of a Genius
he says, and I quote...
00:16:53.568 --> 00:16:56.678
He says...
I'll read it out word by word,
00:16:56.794 --> 00:16:57.907
"When very young,
00:16:58.752 --> 00:17:00.941
I composed a piece
00:17:01.133 --> 00:17:02.938
depicting angels."
00:17:03.821 --> 00:17:05.741
Later, he talks about his brother.
00:17:05.894 --> 00:17:10.310
"My brother died when he was seven,
three years before I was born."
00:17:10.810 --> 00:17:11.770
Impossible!
00:17:12.346 --> 00:17:14.496
His brother died
00:17:15.034 --> 00:17:17.069
before the age of two,
00:17:17.222 --> 00:17:20.256
nine months before
Salvador Dalí was born.
00:17:20.717 --> 00:17:25.440
By comparing it to other paintings
done by the artist,
00:17:25.939 --> 00:17:29.587
when you are convinced
and quite certain
00:17:29.818 --> 00:17:31.699
that the work is by the painter,
00:17:32.045 --> 00:17:34.810
you need
all the technical documentation
00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:38.419
so that nothing can question
that authorship.
00:17:39.226 --> 00:17:41.453
As I got back on my feet
financially,
00:17:41.645 --> 00:17:46.061
I was able to commission a series
of studies of the painting
00:17:46.598 --> 00:17:48.557
that I should've done long before.
00:17:48.787 --> 00:17:52.704
But for me, thousands of euros
00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:54.816
was an astronomical figure.
00:17:54.931 --> 00:17:57.581
-Two different layers underneath.
-Yes.
00:17:58.387 --> 00:18:01.306
When a bit was taken off from here,
00:18:01.421 --> 00:18:04.147
that ochre layer appeared
00:18:04.262 --> 00:18:05.606
with black strokes.
00:18:05.798 --> 00:18:07.488
-Exactly.
-I remember that.
00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:09.792
I still have the photos.
00:18:11.635 --> 00:18:13.094
That would be under here.
00:18:13.325 --> 00:18:16.896
We can use ultraviolet light to see
what's there. Although I doubt it.
00:18:17.126 --> 00:18:22.080
See where the sample was taken?
It seems they have...
00:18:22.157 --> 00:18:24.038
It's possible a bit was taken off.
00:18:24.154 --> 00:18:26.035
A small fragment...
00:18:26.112 --> 00:18:29.491
-It looks like it was taken here.
-It's very likely.
00:18:29.568 --> 00:18:31.450
In 2004, Tomeu contacted me again.
00:18:31.718 --> 00:18:33.984
He was interested
in analysing the painting.
00:18:34.061 --> 00:18:35.942
So an X-ray examination was made
00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.707
and the pigments were studied.
00:18:47.117 --> 00:18:50.266
The study was performed
at the Technical University
00:18:50.342 --> 00:18:52.032
using Raman spectroscopy.
00:18:52.608 --> 00:18:55.219
This particle is extremely clean.
00:18:55.411 --> 00:18:58.253
-I'd start with this one.
-Let's do that, then.
00:18:58.445 --> 00:19:00.518
Four pigments were identified.
00:19:00.634 --> 00:19:02.976
A yellow Hansa I,
00:19:03.629 --> 00:19:05.626
patented in 1909.
00:19:06.278 --> 00:19:10.157
An artificial ultramarine blue
used since the 18th century.
00:19:10.426 --> 00:19:11.539
And also...
00:19:13.075 --> 00:19:15.341
a zinc white pigment,
also widely used
00:19:15.456 --> 00:19:18.528
in the 20th century.
And an organic red,
00:19:18.758 --> 00:19:20.141
which is hard to identify.
00:19:20.448 --> 00:19:22.829
The strokes are very similar.
00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:26.131
-Fantastic.
-I think we've found it.
00:19:26.669 --> 00:19:30.394
If one of the pigments
was patented in 1899,
00:19:30.509 --> 00:19:34.426
it wouldn't have reached artists
until quite a few years later.
00:19:34.502 --> 00:19:39.341
The oldest date we can establish
for yellow Hansa is perhaps 1909,
00:19:39.840 --> 00:19:41.299
but not before then.
00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:45.101
Fair enough,
it was marketed after 1909.
00:19:45.178 --> 00:19:47.098
If that is the case,
00:19:47.251 --> 00:19:50.746
that particular pigment
can be traced back to 1909.
00:19:51.360 --> 00:19:52.742
It may have been added later.
00:19:53.395 --> 00:19:56.582
Or it may have been
wrongly identified.
00:19:56.698 --> 00:20:01.536
This painting was not repainted
or touched up. It was intact.
00:20:01.958 --> 00:20:03.994
Nothing had been added to it.
00:20:04.186 --> 00:20:05.338
What that means
00:20:06.029 --> 00:20:08.947
is that a pigment
manufactured in 1909
00:20:09.216 --> 00:20:12.173
could never have been used
00:20:12.326 --> 00:20:17.472
in a painting
supposedly painted in 1896.
00:20:18.778 --> 00:20:19.891
Consequently,
00:20:20.698 --> 00:20:23.347
the specialists' opinion
00:20:24.077 --> 00:20:28.032
that this was painted in 1896,
00:20:28.186 --> 00:20:30.874
is completely false and incorrect.
00:20:31.526 --> 00:20:35.635
Tomeu was greatly encouraged
by the pigment results.
00:20:37.824 --> 00:20:39.936
He came to my house and said,
00:20:42.010 --> 00:20:44.352
"I'll try and get in touch...
00:20:46.118 --> 00:20:47.347
with Mr. Descharnes."
00:21:03.821 --> 00:21:06.509
Robert Descharnes
was very close friends
00:21:06.662 --> 00:21:08.698
with Salvador Dalí
and his wife Gala.
00:21:08.851 --> 00:21:11.424
He became Dalí's...
00:21:11.731 --> 00:21:13.574
personal secretary.
00:21:16.147 --> 00:21:19.258
He was concerned
with combating Dalí forgeries.
00:21:19.603 --> 00:21:21.254
There were a lot at the time.
00:21:21.331 --> 00:21:24.941
He also set up a company
called Demart Pro Arte
00:21:25.325 --> 00:21:28.550
that aimed to lead that battle.
00:21:28.704 --> 00:21:32.467
For many years
it was Robert Descharnes
00:21:32.621 --> 00:21:34.694
who certified Dalí's paintings.
00:21:35.194 --> 00:21:38.995
He authored
the authoritative catalogue
00:21:39.110 --> 00:21:41.069
on Dalí's painted oeuvre.
00:21:41.376 --> 00:21:44.717
It is still
the main reference point
00:21:44.870 --> 00:21:48.557
for the entire art market
and the general public.
00:21:49.094 --> 00:21:52.435
He is an expert on Dalí's work.
Not only that,
00:21:52.512 --> 00:21:54.662
as he began certifying his work,
00:21:54.701 --> 00:21:58.349
many private clients turned to him
with photos of paintings.
00:21:58.541 --> 00:22:00.422
He built up an extensive archive.
00:22:00.538 --> 00:22:04.915
This explains why auction houses
such as Christie's or Sotheby's
00:22:05.299 --> 00:22:08.102
turned to him
to certify their paintings.
00:22:08.218 --> 00:22:09.638
I passed on
00:22:09.754 --> 00:22:12.480
all my contacts to a colleague
who was familiar
00:22:12.672 --> 00:22:14.054
with the art world.
00:22:14.554 --> 00:22:19.661
Because of health issues
I avoided getting involved.
00:22:19.776 --> 00:22:21.427
I called him every six months.
00:22:21.850 --> 00:22:27.226
We didn't know if Descharnes
was receiving the information.
00:22:29.146 --> 00:22:31.450
Eventually, in 2012,
00:22:31.757 --> 00:22:34.291
I decided
to take charge of the matter.
00:22:34.637 --> 00:22:35.981
I then realised
00:22:36.365 --> 00:22:38.246
that in my collection of paintings,
00:22:38.438 --> 00:22:42.432
I still had a drawing
that had been certified,
00:22:42.854 --> 00:22:43.891
a drawing by Dalí,
00:22:44.314 --> 00:22:46.656
with a certificate issued
by Descharnes.
00:22:47.270 --> 00:22:49.075
The solution to my problem
00:22:50.112 --> 00:22:52.493
was sitting a few metres
away from me.
00:22:53.299 --> 00:22:54.374
So I thought,
00:22:54.950 --> 00:22:58.752
"I'll have a look
in one of these files,
00:22:59.213 --> 00:23:00.595
I don't remember where,
00:23:01.594 --> 00:23:04.397
and see if I can find
Descharnes' certification.
00:23:05.664 --> 00:23:09.734
His address might be on it."
00:23:57.466 --> 00:24:00.346
Bartolomeu Payeras arrived
00:24:01.344 --> 00:24:03.840
in Saint Pierre des Corps.
I went to pick him up.
00:24:04.301 --> 00:24:07.526
Then I took him
to my father's house
00:24:08.486 --> 00:24:11.021
to introduce him
and show him the painting.
00:24:12.058 --> 00:24:13.939
We looked at it very carefully.
00:24:14.438 --> 00:24:15.667
And...
00:24:17.050 --> 00:24:18.509
Unlike...
00:24:19.622 --> 00:24:23.770
other people who he had showed
the canvas to,
00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:25.498
we were not...
00:24:26.189 --> 00:24:28.493
immediately bowled over.
00:24:29.606 --> 00:24:31.373
Initially, we were put off
00:24:31.718 --> 00:24:33.677
by the date that appears on it.
00:24:36.595 --> 00:24:41.088
Let's see this inscription,
which is very enigmatic.
00:24:45.850 --> 00:24:48.576
The inscription was indeed made
using an ink pen.
00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:50.534
It's highly unusual,
00:24:51.571 --> 00:24:54.259
but it is a dedication,
00:24:54.451 --> 00:24:55.718
a sort of dedication.
00:24:58.752 --> 00:25:00.019
We said it is possible.
00:25:01.517 --> 00:25:02.592
It is possible.
00:25:03.821 --> 00:25:05.050
We didn't reject it.
00:25:20.064 --> 00:25:21.024
The price
00:25:21.101 --> 00:25:23.635
of a Picasso, a Miró or a Dalí
00:25:23.789 --> 00:25:25.018
at an art auction
00:25:25.286 --> 00:25:27.552
at Sotheby's in London, for example,
00:25:27.744 --> 00:25:30.739
can fetch as much as
thirty million euros.
00:25:38.112 --> 00:25:42.182
We set a world auction record
for a painting by Dalí
00:25:42.528 --> 00:25:44.102
in 2011.
00:25:44.486 --> 00:25:46.714
It was for a portrait
of Paul Eluard,
00:25:46.829 --> 00:25:49.171
that sold
for twenty-one million dollars.
00:26:02.381 --> 00:26:06.413
What draws our attention most
is the person playing the lyre.
00:26:07.411 --> 00:26:11.251
It's not clear if this is a shell,
but it could easily be one.
00:26:11.981 --> 00:26:14.861
This character
is in a sort of ball of fire,
00:26:15.168 --> 00:26:17.472
playing the harp which,
as we will see,
00:26:17.741 --> 00:26:20.544
is Dalí's favourite instrument.
00:26:25.728 --> 00:26:29.798
That enigmatic dedication
still had to be deciphered.
00:26:30.221 --> 00:26:31.872
Thank you for your time.
00:26:32.026 --> 00:26:33.830
My pleasure.
We'll be in touch.
00:27:01.632 --> 00:27:06.048
After talking
to Nicolas and Robert Descharnes,
00:27:06.278 --> 00:27:10.195
we both agreed to find out more
about this painting.
00:27:10.656 --> 00:27:13.075
That was when I started
investigating.
00:27:13.152 --> 00:27:17.491
First of all, we had to clear up
what the date 27-9-96 meant.
00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.064
It's 27-9-96...
00:27:25.517 --> 00:27:28.666
I began mulling over
two things Dalí said
00:27:28.781 --> 00:27:30.701
and that had always obsessed me.
00:27:31.430 --> 00:27:35.501
"I decided to resemble
my dead brother.
00:27:35.770 --> 00:27:39.149
As if I were his mirror image.
00:27:39.379 --> 00:27:45.101
My brother died
when he was seven years old.
00:27:45.830 --> 00:27:49.747
Three years before I was born."
00:27:50.630 --> 00:27:54.662
Since Dalí referred to seven,
his brother's age,
00:27:54.778 --> 00:27:58.694
and he wanted to be his double,
I used the same technique.
00:27:59.501 --> 00:28:03.840
I took the date 11-5-04,
the year he was born,
00:28:04.109 --> 00:28:06.374
and subtracted seven years.
00:28:06.566 --> 00:28:11.174
That took me to 11-5-1897.
00:28:11.366 --> 00:28:16.474
To find out if there had been
an "intrauterine birth",
00:28:16.550 --> 00:28:20.890
he talks about his intrauterine
paradise and life,
00:28:21.581 --> 00:28:24.422
I thought he must have had
an intrauterine birth.
00:28:24.499 --> 00:28:26.189
So I took away nine months
00:28:26.266 --> 00:28:30.259
from 11-5-97,
00:28:30.874 --> 00:28:36.019
and that took me
to August 11, 1896.
00:28:37.286 --> 00:28:41.434
I thought that this date,
August 11, 1896,
00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:46.080
was the day his father's sperm
and his mother's egg...
00:28:46.464 --> 00:28:49.421
The sperm and the egg
joined together.
00:28:50.112 --> 00:28:53.568
Obviously, this wasn't the date
of his intrauterine birth.
00:28:54.106 --> 00:28:56.870
As a former biologist,
00:28:57.024 --> 00:28:59.904
it was quite easy for me
to understand:
00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:03.667
if we added a month and a half,
00:29:04.090 --> 00:29:06.778
which makes roughly six weeks,
00:29:07.123 --> 00:29:10.157
to when the egg was fertilised,
it would give me
00:29:10.541 --> 00:29:14.611
the date on which the new being
00:29:14.726 --> 00:29:15.686
is formed.
00:29:15.878 --> 00:29:18.758
By that I mean
the embryo, the human foetus.
00:29:19.373 --> 00:29:20.947
The result
00:29:21.408 --> 00:29:25.939
is September 27, 1896.
00:29:26.054 --> 00:29:29.011
The date
on the bottom right-hand corner.
00:29:29.165 --> 00:29:32.160
So the date 27-9-96
00:29:32.352 --> 00:29:37.190
is the pictorial representation
of Salvador Dalí's birth
00:29:37.498 --> 00:29:40.531
and the date
of his intrauterine birth.
00:29:40.915 --> 00:29:43.296
Not of Salvador Dalí,
but the "divine Dalí."
00:29:43.795 --> 00:29:47.021
The "divine Dalí" was a character
created by Salvador Dalí.
00:29:47.251 --> 00:29:49.670
He created him in 1921.
00:29:51.130 --> 00:29:52.704
Who is this character?
00:29:53.011 --> 00:29:56.506
The antithesis
of the earthly character,
00:29:56.966 --> 00:29:58.272
the common character,
00:29:58.349 --> 00:30:01.766
a person who feared death,
00:30:02.074 --> 00:30:03.686
who had sexuality problems,
00:30:04.301 --> 00:30:06.259
someone who was shy, etc.
00:30:06.336 --> 00:30:09.101
So he created this new character
00:30:09.869 --> 00:30:11.827
and played the role daily.
00:30:12.518 --> 00:30:13.824
What this means
00:30:14.515 --> 00:30:16.704
is that it confuses the public
00:30:16.781 --> 00:30:19.738
who think there is only one Dalí,
when there are two.
00:30:19.930 --> 00:30:22.656
One day Dalí was sitting in a bar
00:30:22.771 --> 00:30:24.461
when journalists turned up.
00:30:24.614 --> 00:30:27.610
A friend warned him
that journalists were coming.
00:30:27.686 --> 00:30:31.219
He replied, "Then I'd better put on
my Salvador Dalí disguise."
00:30:31.488 --> 00:30:32.947
A group of hooded men,
00:30:33.062 --> 00:30:36.134
under the gaze of the angel,
carry the Pythagoras Cube,
00:30:36.288 --> 00:30:39.130
full of symmetrical inscriptions,
through the streets of Rome.
00:30:39.245 --> 00:30:41.894
At night they enter
the Pallavicini gardens
00:30:42.010 --> 00:30:43.430
on the Quirinale.
00:30:44.966 --> 00:30:48.000
Among the eager journalists,
a familiar moustache.
00:30:48.154 --> 00:30:51.379
One moustache attracts another
and the artist appears. Dalí!
00:30:51.571 --> 00:30:54.490
Searching for the mathematical
centre of the pavilion,
00:30:55.181 --> 00:30:59.059
a symbol of rebirth he compares
to revolution and reaction.
00:30:59.558 --> 00:31:02.016
He explains the Cube
in surrealist Latin.
00:31:08.621 --> 00:31:10.195
When I discovered this
00:31:10.656 --> 00:31:12.538
I was very excited to begin with.
00:31:13.843 --> 00:31:15.725
Later, I felt tremendously alone.
00:31:16.454 --> 00:31:18.912
Because I was the only person
in the world,
00:31:19.488 --> 00:31:20.986
after many years,
00:31:21.254 --> 00:31:23.674
who had been privileged enough
00:31:23.750 --> 00:31:28.013
to gaze at Salvador Dalí's
intrauterine birth alone.
00:31:28.320 --> 00:31:30.970
A spectacle for just one person.
00:31:31.469 --> 00:31:35.194
But I couldn't explain my discovery
to my neighbour or a professor.
00:31:36.038 --> 00:31:40.877
I would need more scientific proof
to defend those claims.
00:31:45.830 --> 00:31:49.824
The purpose of his visit
was to ask me
00:31:49.978 --> 00:31:53.894
if I could talk to him about
the personality of the individual
00:31:54.509 --> 00:31:55.968
who wrote the inscription.
00:31:56.390 --> 00:31:58.003
I asked why he wanted to know
00:31:58.157 --> 00:32:01.382
about the personality
of the person who wrote it.
00:32:02.342 --> 00:32:03.456
Isn't it more logical
00:32:03.610 --> 00:32:04.877
to find out who wrote it?
00:32:05.952 --> 00:32:07.181
He was very surprised.
00:32:07.987 --> 00:32:09.677
"Is that possible?"
00:32:09.869 --> 00:32:11.251
It's wonderful,
00:32:11.789 --> 00:32:14.784
but risky.
But I wanted to risk it
00:32:15.130 --> 00:32:18.432
and find out
and prove scientifically
00:32:18.547 --> 00:32:21.312
who wrote this dedication.
00:32:35.059 --> 00:32:36.672
Analysing the painting
00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:40.474
was quite a surprise
00:32:40.781 --> 00:32:44.083
because there was a dedication
that wasn't clearly legible.
00:32:45.466 --> 00:32:49.267
It was legible, but some parts
were rather hard to decipher.
00:32:49.421 --> 00:32:51.226
The signature was very faint.
00:32:51.302 --> 00:32:55.181
By using chromatic luminescence,
however, we were able to show
00:32:55.718 --> 00:32:59.866
a luminescent representation,
via colour fluorescence,
00:33:00.096 --> 00:33:02.093
of the entire dedication
00:33:02.246 --> 00:33:03.130
and the signature.
00:33:03.206 --> 00:33:05.818
We were able to identify it
as being from the '20s.
00:33:06.317 --> 00:33:09.158
The style of writing
was similar to that period.
00:33:09.312 --> 00:33:12.538
We felt a lot more at ease
00:33:12.653 --> 00:33:17.184
when we received the study
carried out by Mr. Venzal,
00:33:17.798 --> 00:33:19.450
who works for Interpol.
00:33:20.755 --> 00:33:23.251
He formally acknowledged
00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:27.782
that the writing was
by Salvador Dalí from the 1920s.
00:33:27.898 --> 00:33:29.395
This was very positive.
00:33:30.125 --> 00:33:31.584
One time
00:33:31.776 --> 00:33:36.154
I wrote the word "revolution"
with four spelling mistakes.
00:33:36.806 --> 00:33:40.301
I wrote two r's at the beginning.
00:33:40.454 --> 00:33:43.411
Then I wrote a b instead of a v.
00:33:43.757 --> 00:33:45.062
In the middle
00:33:45.331 --> 00:33:49.517
I felt I had to pause a little,
so I included an h.
00:33:49.747 --> 00:33:51.206
I ended up putting a t.
00:33:51.475 --> 00:33:54.010
My father got into bed,
desperate, saying,
00:33:54.317 --> 00:33:56.621
"Whatever happens,
00:33:56.736 --> 00:33:59.309
this lad will die
covered in lice."
00:33:59.731 --> 00:34:02.381
As suspected,
two types of ink were used.
00:34:02.726 --> 00:34:05.069
Using chromatic luminescence
00:34:05.338 --> 00:34:06.874
we've revealed
00:34:07.066 --> 00:34:10.176
that the same black ink pen
was used
00:34:10.330 --> 00:34:12.557
to write the dedication
and the signature.
00:34:12.672 --> 00:34:14.093
It's seen in both images.
00:34:14.515 --> 00:34:17.894
Then it was corrected using
a second writing tool, also black.
00:34:18.125 --> 00:34:20.237
The spectral response is different.
00:34:20.352 --> 00:34:22.118
Using chromatic luminescence
00:34:22.195 --> 00:34:26.381
we distinguished two types
of black in the dedication.
00:34:26.496 --> 00:34:28.339
Two types of black ink.
00:34:28.493 --> 00:34:31.872
We detected a spelling mistake.
00:34:32.294 --> 00:34:36.941
This was normal in Dalí.
He mixed up his b's and his v's.
00:34:38.438 --> 00:34:39.936
The correction was made...
00:34:40.474 --> 00:34:43.354
When you read the dedication,
00:34:43.930 --> 00:34:47.040
it has been corrected.
The mistake isn't there.
00:34:47.309 --> 00:34:49.920
If the handwriting expert,
who determines
00:34:50.458 --> 00:34:54.144
whether the writing
is similar or not,
00:34:54.221 --> 00:34:58.406
and he has sufficient evidence
to support that,
00:34:58.714 --> 00:35:03.130
says this is a typical spelling
mistake made by another person
00:35:03.706 --> 00:35:05.779
when this particular person
00:35:06.701 --> 00:35:09.619
made all sorts of spelling mistakes,
00:35:09.888 --> 00:35:14.074
I think this is an abuse
of his role.
00:35:14.150 --> 00:35:17.222
I also believe
it is not very professional.
00:35:17.645 --> 00:35:19.258
In view of the above,
00:35:19.334 --> 00:35:22.944
and as established
in this expert forensic report,
00:35:23.213 --> 00:35:27.782
the text and signature
on the bottom right-hand side
00:35:27.859 --> 00:35:29.818
of the canvas that was analysed,
00:35:29.894 --> 00:35:33.542
belong to and were handwritten
00:35:33.734 --> 00:35:35.501
by the artist Salvador Dalí.
00:35:36.115 --> 00:35:37.267
So...
00:35:38.458 --> 00:35:40.800
if the writing
and signature are genuine,
00:35:41.376 --> 00:35:44.640
the spelling mistakes
are typical of Dalí,
00:35:45.101 --> 00:35:47.174
these factors,
for any other painter,
00:35:47.635 --> 00:35:50.016
would be proof of its authenticity.
00:35:50.630 --> 00:35:51.898
But in the case of Dalí
00:35:52.666 --> 00:35:54.739
you're guilty until proven innocent.
00:35:54.970 --> 00:35:58.771
In the subsequent study
performed by Bartolomeu Payeras,
00:36:00.154 --> 00:36:04.646
there are other positive factors,
particularly the date
00:36:05.261 --> 00:36:06.259
and numerology.
00:36:06.874 --> 00:36:09.101
He'll explain this to you,
00:36:09.408 --> 00:36:11.136
but it's another positive factor.
00:36:18.701 --> 00:36:19.891
BIRTH
00:36:30.259 --> 00:36:32.256
When I discovered the meaning
00:36:32.333 --> 00:36:35.904
of the date September 27, '96,
and September
00:36:36.019 --> 00:36:37.670
is IX in Roman numerals,
00:36:37.978 --> 00:36:41.510
I realised that this held the key
00:36:42.086 --> 00:36:44.160
to Dalí's numerology.
00:36:44.467 --> 00:36:47.501
Dalí wanted to emulate
Durero or Da Vinci.
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:50.381
He endeavoured to hide
00:36:50.496 --> 00:36:52.070
his secrets in the painting.
00:36:52.147 --> 00:36:54.451
And he did this using numerology.
00:36:54.490 --> 00:36:56.909
In many of his paintings
there are numbers
00:36:57.024 --> 00:36:58.291
that are depicted.
00:36:58.714 --> 00:37:01.670
Obviously, many people
have no idea what they mean.
00:37:02.438 --> 00:37:03.974
But each of these numbers
00:37:04.128 --> 00:37:06.010
has its own meaning.
00:37:06.778 --> 00:37:09.197
This is where
the message is hidden.
00:37:09.658 --> 00:37:13.459
When I paint symbols,
they are so important
00:37:13.574 --> 00:37:15.686
it will take centuries
to understand them.
00:37:24.672 --> 00:37:27.437
Statements by Dalí
go through my mind.
00:37:28.397 --> 00:37:31.200
Numbers and letters
in his paintings.
00:37:32.352 --> 00:37:34.157
I realised they are all linked.
00:37:34.925 --> 00:37:37.613
The number seven appears
00:37:37.805 --> 00:37:38.765
in Las Meninas.
00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:41.261
Dalí was inspired
by this Velázquez painting.
00:37:41.798 --> 00:37:44.141
He created a work
adding sevens and eights.
00:37:46.138 --> 00:37:48.595
He replaced the characters
with numbers.
00:37:49.670 --> 00:37:52.896
And Tomeu is right,
seven was significant to Dalí.
00:37:53.472 --> 00:37:55.661
Another fantastic thing,
00:37:56.083 --> 00:37:58.464
something no one had done before:
00:37:58.541 --> 00:38:01.152
he studied the numbers
on the melting clocks.
00:38:01.997 --> 00:38:04.954
Dalí was very talented as a writer.
00:38:05.453 --> 00:38:08.986
Almost as talented
as he was as a painter.
00:38:09.754 --> 00:38:12.480
But somehow he knew
00:38:12.749 --> 00:38:16.589
how to encode
and encrypt certain information.
00:38:16.781 --> 00:38:19.661
Tomeu was able to identify
this information.
00:38:19.968 --> 00:38:22.848
His attempt at deciphering them
00:38:23.386 --> 00:38:25.690
is truly exciting.
00:38:26.074 --> 00:38:28.915
Each number
had a meaning for Dalí.
00:38:29.146 --> 00:38:32.026
Three represented
his date of birth.
00:38:32.448 --> 00:38:35.366
Four was the birth of his brother.
00:38:36.826 --> 00:38:39.782
When you add up three and four
you get seven,
00:38:40.013 --> 00:38:41.626
which is the "divine Dalí."
00:38:41.894 --> 00:38:45.850
For example, if we see
four minutes to seven
00:38:46.080 --> 00:38:47.539
on a Dalí clock,
00:38:47.885 --> 00:38:49.498
we subtract four from seven.
00:38:49.997 --> 00:38:52.378
Seven minus four give us three.
00:38:52.992 --> 00:38:55.488
That is the time of his birth.
00:38:55.680 --> 00:38:56.794
Three.
00:38:58.291 --> 00:39:01.018
This is a way of depicting...
00:39:02.285 --> 00:39:05.549
a hidden message.
We look, but we don't see it.
00:39:06.355 --> 00:39:09.696
The study shows that six
is a negative hour for Dalí.
00:39:10.387 --> 00:39:11.693
It is just before,
00:39:12.154 --> 00:39:15.226
four or six minutes to six
00:39:15.610 --> 00:39:18.182
and it has to reach seven.
00:39:19.258 --> 00:39:21.754
His aim is to reach seven,
the "divine Dalí."
00:39:22.214 --> 00:39:25.133
To me it sounds like
an old wives' tale.
00:39:25.478 --> 00:39:28.704
There is a lot of adding
and subtracting,
00:39:28.973 --> 00:39:32.237
but you can do whatever magic
you want using numbers.
00:39:32.352 --> 00:39:35.846
Do you think he has discovered
the Dalí Code?
00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:36.960
Yes.
00:39:39.226 --> 00:39:40.224
No doubt.
00:39:48.595 --> 00:39:50.016
To top it off,
00:39:50.093 --> 00:39:52.474
I then decided to write
a book about it.
00:39:52.858 --> 00:39:57.389
I needed to explain to everyone,
even the sceptics,
00:39:58.118 --> 00:39:59.808
everything I had discovered
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.955
and all the arguments that showed
this is a Dalí painting.
00:40:08.640 --> 00:40:10.214
We knew he was working a lot.
00:40:10.406 --> 00:40:11.750
He was doing 12, 14,
00:40:11.866 --> 00:40:13.632
or 16 hours of work a day.
00:40:13.786 --> 00:40:16.435
We asked him
why he was working so much.
00:40:16.550 --> 00:40:18.970
You're retired now.
What are you up to?
00:40:19.546 --> 00:40:21.504
I'm working on something great!
00:40:22.810 --> 00:40:24.038
"Tomeu," I said,
00:40:24.422 --> 00:40:25.498
"Yes, yes.
00:40:25.690 --> 00:40:27.917
It will be great.
Mind-blowing!"
00:40:36.902 --> 00:40:38.669
A fine mess!
00:40:39.053 --> 00:40:42.586
Because I'm not an editor
or a writer.
00:40:42.739 --> 00:40:46.464
I don't know how
you sell a book or write one.
00:40:47.424 --> 00:40:49.229
But I felt the need to do it.
00:40:49.651 --> 00:40:52.954
After reading the draft,
underlining things,
00:40:53.069 --> 00:40:56.064
and noting down
the questions it raised for me,
00:40:56.141 --> 00:40:59.674
Tomeu and I met up
to discuss the book
00:40:59.827 --> 00:41:02.899
and talk about his research,
his thoughts.
00:41:03.053 --> 00:41:05.357
And it was just then
00:41:05.510 --> 00:41:08.928
that I suggested to him
that perhaps the dedication
00:41:09.197 --> 00:41:12.154
was attempting to show us
00:41:12.269 --> 00:41:15.955
that Dalí had dedicated
the painting to himself.
00:41:16.454 --> 00:41:20.371
Because Dalí did not appear
when Salvador Dalí was born,
00:41:20.486 --> 00:41:21.754
but long before that.
00:41:21.984 --> 00:41:24.634
The true Dalí, the "divine Dalí",
00:41:24.749 --> 00:41:28.704
was the teacher, the maestro,
of the Dalí we all know.
00:41:28.781 --> 00:41:29.741
In the end
00:41:29.856 --> 00:41:30.816
it all added up.
00:41:30.931 --> 00:41:34.387
After 24 years
of falling into Dalí's trap,
00:41:34.464 --> 00:41:37.421
believing the painting
was dedicated to his teacher,
00:41:38.381 --> 00:41:40.531
it turns out that Dalí the painter
00:41:40.877 --> 00:41:42.221
dedicates the painting
00:41:42.989 --> 00:41:46.061
to his teacher, the "divine Dalí."
00:41:46.330 --> 00:41:48.672
It was the teacher who was born
00:41:48.826 --> 00:41:51.475
on September 27, 1896.
00:41:51.629 --> 00:41:56.659
Dalí was the one born in 1904
on Monturiol St. in Figueres.
00:41:58.426 --> 00:42:02.496
"Divine Dalí" was the character
Salvador Dalí created
00:42:02.611 --> 00:42:04.800
and whose birth was intrauterine
00:42:04.877 --> 00:42:07.142
from an alchemical egg on fire
00:42:07.219 --> 00:42:10.099
on September 27, 1896.
00:42:10.368 --> 00:42:13.555
You know
that in many of his paintings
00:42:13.670 --> 00:42:15.475
he uses numbers,
like in Las Meninas,
00:42:15.706 --> 00:42:17.664
like in Battle of Tetuan
00:42:17.741 --> 00:42:20.006
or Little Ashes.
00:42:20.621 --> 00:42:24.614
Numbers are used
in many of Dalí's works.
00:42:24.768 --> 00:42:27.226
I started searching
and found that Dalí
00:42:27.418 --> 00:42:30.451
used numbers, numerology.
00:42:30.758 --> 00:42:32.870
I wasn't just writing a book.
00:42:33.370 --> 00:42:35.942
Since I didn't have a secretary,
00:42:36.211 --> 00:42:38.131
I had to organise a launch,
00:42:38.707 --> 00:42:42.739
get in touch with the presenters,
the media,
00:42:43.200 --> 00:42:47.501
the printing house,
the transport company...
00:42:47.693 --> 00:42:52.493
What I mean is this job...
was too much for me.
00:42:52.838 --> 00:42:56.909
We might actually present it
without the book or e-book.
00:42:57.062 --> 00:42:58.714
IB3 television?
00:42:59.290 --> 00:43:01.670
Exactly, exactly.
Go ahead.
00:43:02.093 --> 00:43:05.587
A photo of Dalí would go here
00:43:06.278 --> 00:43:07.661
and another one here.
00:43:10.925 --> 00:43:13.536
My name is Tomeu L'Amo
00:43:13.690 --> 00:43:15.994
and I'm at your entire disposal.
00:43:23.712 --> 00:43:24.941
-Hello.
-Hello.
00:43:26.285 --> 00:43:28.819
I'll be talking over here
00:43:29.088 --> 00:43:31.699
so Descharnes needs to know
what I'm saying.
00:43:39.571 --> 00:43:42.067
Right now you're talking
on the phone
00:43:42.144 --> 00:43:45.293
to two different people in one,
as I say in my book.
00:43:45.370 --> 00:43:47.520
The book was written by two people.
00:43:47.635 --> 00:43:50.477
Bartolomeu Payeras,
with his scientific background,
00:43:51.130 --> 00:43:53.894
and Tomeu L’Amo,
with his artistic point of view.
00:43:53.971 --> 00:43:58.502
I've been painting, writing,
making sculptures and videos
00:43:58.656 --> 00:44:00.269
for the past 40 years.
00:44:00.461 --> 00:44:03.149
The left side of my brain
is rational
00:44:03.302 --> 00:44:06.874
and the right side is totally
irrational, illogical and intuitive.
00:44:06.989 --> 00:44:10.752
As a teacher, a schoolteacher,
00:44:10.867 --> 00:44:12.518
he is Tomeu Payeras.
00:44:13.210 --> 00:44:14.861
When he comes here,
00:44:15.437 --> 00:44:17.779
he leaves that character behind
at school
00:44:17.894 --> 00:44:19.699
and becomes Tomeu L'Amo.
00:44:19.930 --> 00:44:21.581
He's the other person here.
00:44:21.850 --> 00:44:25.114
This other person is multi-faceted.
00:44:25.536 --> 00:44:27.418
Tomeu L'Amo is not just
00:44:27.571 --> 00:44:30.144
one single person.
The person he becomes
00:44:30.221 --> 00:44:33.792
depends on the activity
he's carrying out at the time.
00:44:54.221 --> 00:44:56.333
I'm native to the archipelago
00:44:57.062 --> 00:44:58.406
of the Balearic Islands.
00:44:59.136 --> 00:45:03.091
I go out at midday
walking among the scrubland,
00:45:03.667 --> 00:45:05.434
avoiding civilisation.
00:45:06.010 --> 00:45:09.274
I come to this particular spot.
00:45:09.389 --> 00:45:12.269
It's actually
one of the last beaches
00:45:12.730 --> 00:45:14.419
"far from the madding crowd"
00:45:14.534 --> 00:45:16.186
and the cameras.
00:45:17.261 --> 00:45:22.406
And this is where I delve into
my make-believe world of jungles
00:45:23.136 --> 00:45:26.438
and my secret forest hideaways.
00:45:37.498 --> 00:45:41.338
The water coming off the roof
had to go down an underground drain.
00:45:41.914 --> 00:45:45.062
I got to thinking,
"Let's design it in such a way
00:45:45.408 --> 00:45:49.862
that the water keeps
Tomeu L'Amo company for a while."
00:45:50.016 --> 00:45:53.741
When the water drains off,
it collects here for a few days
00:45:53.818 --> 00:45:56.544
until the level rises
and it goes down the drain.
00:45:56.659 --> 00:46:00.768
I want the water
to be full of plants and animals.
00:46:01.190 --> 00:46:03.226
A frog, a turtle...
00:46:03.686 --> 00:46:08.179
I think he feels comfortable
with the idea of duality.
00:46:08.986 --> 00:46:11.597
It's a way of trying to understand
00:46:11.750 --> 00:46:16.435
how an individual is capable
of living several parallel lives.
00:46:16.550 --> 00:46:19.853
There is no one quite like Dalí
as an object of study
00:46:20.275 --> 00:46:22.157
for someone interested
in dual identity
00:46:22.656 --> 00:46:26.496
to commit himself to and embark on
such a remarkable task,
00:46:26.765 --> 00:46:29.030
which is what Tomeu
has managed to do.
00:46:42.470 --> 00:46:44.467
What I do at midday...
00:46:46.118 --> 00:46:48.576
is take a 20-minute break.
00:46:50.266 --> 00:46:52.877
If it's summertime,
I go for a swim.
00:46:53.107 --> 00:46:55.142
In the winter, I go for a walk.
00:46:56.525 --> 00:47:02.861
While I'm swimming I take the time
to feed my good friends the fish.
00:47:03.859 --> 00:47:05.203
They're waiting for me!
00:47:19.757 --> 00:47:21.869
He once told me
he'd invented a new sport.
00:47:22.022 --> 00:47:25.901
He said he got in the water
at Ca los Cans
00:47:26.016 --> 00:47:28.128
and started walking on the seabed.
00:47:28.320 --> 00:47:30.010
Taking a stroll under the sea.
00:47:35.194 --> 00:47:36.691
His game on the beach?
00:47:37.152 --> 00:47:38.918
The game where he...
00:47:39.456 --> 00:47:42.298
picks up a big rock?
Tomeu does that sort of stuff.
00:47:46.598 --> 00:47:50.093
He's creative,
creative at all levels.
00:47:51.744 --> 00:47:55.814
I don't know what these are.
Strange objects that turn up here.
00:47:56.774 --> 00:48:00.538
They're like
a tribute to the breeze.
00:48:02.458 --> 00:48:05.914
They have a life of their own,
the breeze is cooling.
00:48:06.566 --> 00:48:08.218
They move and chase me!
00:48:39.590 --> 00:48:41.318
There is a full moon tonight.
00:48:42.010 --> 00:48:45.120
And every year
when there's a full moon in August
00:48:45.274 --> 00:48:48.499
I like to gather together
all my friends.
00:48:49.075 --> 00:48:50.381
Friends of the sea,
00:48:50.918 --> 00:48:53.146
the forest, the mountain,
00:48:53.798 --> 00:48:56.909
the asphalt and the inter space.
00:48:57.062 --> 00:48:58.829
We're feeling so keen, so good,
00:48:58.944 --> 00:49:02.016
that we've decided to put on
a new musical performance.
00:49:09.619 --> 00:49:11.462
Occupied!
00:49:11.616 --> 00:49:13.382
Frau is shitting,
Herr is shitting!
00:49:13.498 --> 00:49:16.032
The man and woman are shitting!
Fox terrier and Doberman!
00:49:19.334 --> 00:49:20.486
Occupied!
00:49:20.794 --> 00:49:22.368
The king
and president are shitting!
00:49:22.560 --> 00:49:25.670
The minister is shitting too,
and the midwife and the priest!
00:49:29.203 --> 00:49:31.046
Occupied!
00:49:39.494 --> 00:49:41.837
Well, anyone who knows Tomeu,
00:49:41.914 --> 00:49:43.603
and I think I know him quite well...
00:49:44.333 --> 00:49:45.638
That's the way he is.
00:49:52.896 --> 00:49:53.933
The car stalls on me.
00:49:54.086 --> 00:49:56.890
Sometimes I have to do
things like this.
00:49:56.966 --> 00:49:59.501
I can't even afford
the vehicle safety test.
00:50:00.192 --> 00:50:01.690
It hasn't passed its MOT.
00:50:02.266 --> 00:50:03.610
What that means is
00:50:03.840 --> 00:50:05.107
I'm driving illegally.
00:50:05.645 --> 00:50:07.027
We're heading for Palma
00:50:07.411 --> 00:50:09.216
because in a few hours
00:50:09.677 --> 00:50:12.326
I'm going to the airport to pick up
00:50:12.826 --> 00:50:15.053
Nicolas Descharnes
who's flying in from Paris.
00:50:15.245 --> 00:50:19.008
He wants to be there
for the book launch.
00:50:19.430 --> 00:50:23.194
It will take place tomorrow, Friday,
00:50:23.501 --> 00:50:26.150
on July 5, in Palma de Mallorca.
00:50:26.304 --> 00:50:28.339
They have all the documents.
00:50:29.798 --> 00:50:31.373
They're studying them.
00:50:32.218 --> 00:50:34.138
When they consider it appropriate,
00:50:36.019 --> 00:50:37.824
they'll issue a report
00:50:39.053 --> 00:50:42.624
or an expert opinion
on the painting.
00:51:11.194 --> 00:51:12.307
Look, there he is!
00:51:13.344 --> 00:51:14.266
There he is!
00:51:20.371 --> 00:51:21.600
Hello!
00:51:21.830 --> 00:51:24.326
-How are you?
-Bartolomeu Payeras?
00:51:24.595 --> 00:51:27.360
-Or is it Tomeu L'Amo?
-I don't know who I am!
00:51:27.667 --> 00:51:29.203
The first copy of the book
00:51:29.587 --> 00:51:32.390
fresh from the printers.
This is for you.
00:51:32.506 --> 00:51:36.768
I've included
a little dedication to you.
00:51:36.960 --> 00:51:38.534
I think it turned out great.
00:51:53.203 --> 00:51:55.738
With Dalí...
00:51:56.467 --> 00:51:58.502
-Good afternoon.
-Hello.
00:51:58.618 --> 00:51:59.654
How are you?
00:52:01.306 --> 00:52:02.266
I'm good.
00:52:02.342 --> 00:52:04.877
-Nicolas Descharnes.
-Nice to meet you.
00:52:06.605 --> 00:52:07.757
Not only is
00:52:07.872 --> 00:52:11.136
the presence of Nicolas Descharnes
important for the book launch,
00:52:11.597 --> 00:52:16.512
but he can use this visit to Palma
to meet Venzal
00:52:17.126 --> 00:52:19.622
and Sandalinas
to help him
00:52:20.390 --> 00:52:22.234
assess the work they have done
00:52:22.426 --> 00:52:24.154
and give an informed opinion
00:52:24.230 --> 00:52:26.304
when he comments on this painting.
00:52:26.458 --> 00:52:30.182
The way the upper part is larger
00:52:30.797 --> 00:52:31.910
could also be
00:52:32.026 --> 00:52:35.021
interpreted as a reflection...
00:52:35.251 --> 00:52:37.978
-An aspect of his ego.
-Yes, the ego.
00:52:38.515 --> 00:52:40.243
Ego represented by large writing.
00:52:40.589 --> 00:52:43.430
The upper part is exaggerated.
00:52:43.584 --> 00:52:45.542
The upper part of the writing.
00:52:45.619 --> 00:52:48.346
Ego and particularly
the spiritual aspect.
00:52:48.461 --> 00:52:52.224
Your opinion about this writing
00:52:52.301 --> 00:52:54.144
is fundamental to me.
00:52:54.259 --> 00:52:59.098
He knows that issuing
a certification for this painting
00:53:00.250 --> 00:53:02.784
implies a lot of responsibility,
00:53:03.514 --> 00:53:04.896
so I must be 100
Distributor: Pragda Films
Length: 78 minutes
Date: 2016
Genre: Expository
Language: Spanish; Catalan; French
Grade: Middle School, High School, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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