El niño secreto de los Dalí

Joan Figueras i Oliveras was five years old when he spent his first night in Portlligat, at the Dalís' house. It was the summer of 1948. Salvador and Gala had just returned from their nearly ten-year stay in the United States; there, Dalí was already highly sought after, while in Spain he was virtually unknown. Dalí chose Joan as the model for the Christ Child in the Madonna of Portlligat (represented by Gala). This led to him spending many hours posing for the painter, and the couple grew fond of him, despite their public aversion to children. But Joan was very charming, outgoing, clever, and handsome. From that summer on, the boy returned year after year to live with the Dalís in their Portlligat house, built by combining the shacks they bought from the fishermen of Cadaqués. A close, familial relationship developed, lasting until Gala's death in 1982, when Dalí moved to Púbol. Joan Figueras never wanted to tell his story, and years after his death, José Ángel Montañés was able to learn it through his family. Until now, no one had wondered who this boy who seemed like one of the family really was. This book reveals the truth. This true story shows that, legends aside, the portion of Dalí's life recounted here is closer to everyday reality than the genius's own diaries and, certainly, than all the elaborate charades the painter would put on whenever he saw a camera and told his family, "I'm going to play Dalí for a while."