The Descharnes’ Undying Commitment to Salvador Dali Series:

Robert Descharnes Rescues Dali from 1984 Fire at the Castle of Pubol - The True Story

There have been much speculation and nasty rumors over the last 25 years regarding what really happened at the Castle of Púbol when a fire broke out on August 30, 1984 that resulted in serious burns to Salvador Dali's body.

Now, here on Fine Art Registry®, you will learn the truth about the fire from the man who was there and lived to tell about it. Robert Descharnes risked his own life to save the life of his good friend and until now he has never been properly recognized for his heroic effort.

After the fire, gossip, assumptions, and nasty rumors flew about what could have happened - all of them untrue. Over the years it has been reported by various sources that the origin of the fire at the castle occurred under "unclear circumstances," and that perhaps Dali attempted suicide by setting the fire himself, or perhaps those close to him had purposely set the fire. The truth is, Dali did cause the fire entirely by accident and was rescued and it was Robert Descharnes that saved Dali from a fiery, premature death.

Dali was then 80 years old and due to his weakened state was confined to his bed much of the time. On the day of the fire, Robert Descharnes was staying at the Dali castle. He had been traveling each week from France to Spain and as a result spent half of the week with Dali. Robert Descharnes arrived in Púbol the morning of August 29, 1984 and as usual, he spent the night. Robert Descharnes was sleeping in a bedroom on the ground floor of the castle when he "heard a noise like a stampede" above him where Dali's bedroom was located. It was 5:00 a.m. on August 30, 1984, when the fire broke out.

"I went up and found Carmen Barris, the nurse and a security guard just entering the bedroom," Descharnes told Fine Art Registry. "Because of Dali's fame, a full time security guard was assigned to the castle. Looking into the room, you couldn't see anything, it was filled with smoke. I asked the nurse to quickly bring a wet towel. At that moment, the flames appeared and I thought I could see Dali in a space near the wall and the bed, stretched out full length on the floor alongside the baseboard. Frail but not stupid, Dali was aware enough to drop to the floor to avoid suffocation. The first time I entered the room, the smoke was so thick I had to retreat. I got my bearings, put the wet towel on my head and entered a second time. There were flames licking the top of Dali's bed and that's when I spotted him on the ground. I grabbed him like a package and dragged him to the door where the security guard helped me. We carried him onto another bed. The entire bedroom was completely demolished. Dali was burned over 18% of his body. If I did not pull him out of the bedroom his life would have been lost."

The confusion and the urgency of the situation didn't allow Robert Descharnes to consider that he was risking his own life. He only wanted to save his friend, so he reacted as the nurses and other staff flew off in a panic to summon fireman.

"Dali set fire to his bed by causing a short circuit - the result of his continual attempts to control the nurses and keep them at his beck and call. Contrary to the rumors and speculation, Dali did not set the fire deliberately. The truth is that Dali had a buzzer that he used to call the nurses. He used it constantly. He used it so frequently in fact that the nurses no longer bothered with it and in order to have some peace, they shut off the buzzer. It was Dali's nature to call the nurses all the time. For him, diminished by age or not, Dalí was still Dali. He was the center of the world and the nurses were commanded to concern themselves solely with his person, as is usually the case with many geniuses, artists, and creative people."

At Dali's request, the buzzer system was changed and connected to the lighting - a light bulb was placed in front of his bed and the other [the buzzer] in the room where the two nurses were on duty. Obviously, a buzzer is 12 volts and the light bulb 220 volts which concerned the personnel, but they did not dare to oppose him. The buzzer was hanging near the bed so Dali could use it. Every morning, the buzzer, broken and blackened by his ceaseless ringing, was changed. The fire happened when Dali pulled on the buzzer causing the two wires to short out or to spark which contacted with the bedding. "Previous to the fire, in vain, Arturo Caminada warned him: 'Señor Dalí, you are going to set fire to your bed.' And that is exactly what happened." Caminada was the Major-domo. He entered the service of Dali between the ages of 17 and 19 years old. He died few months after Dalí passed away.

As soon as Robert Descharnes had moved Dalí to another bed away from the fire, Dali's doctors were summoned immediately and they administered tranquilizers. The next day, on August 31st, his doctors decided to transport Dali to the Clínica Virgen del Pilar in Barcelona for further treatment. "I remember Dali demanding: 'If I am to die, I want to see my museum a last time.' And they took him to the Teatro-Museo in a wheel chair. I have photos of Dali in the halls of the museum just before leaving for the Clinica Virgen del Pilar. He stayed there from August 31st until the end of the October."

It didn't take long for rumors to erupt as to the cause of the fire. An investigation was ordered in La Bisbal. Robert Descharnes was required to report to a Judge a few times to answer questions. The Judge also visited Dali in Barcelona because the fire was rumored to have been criminal. The case was soon closed because of the declarations of the nurse and the security guard. It was finally resolved that the origin of the fire was the result of an accident and that there was no criminality involved. Yet, this didn't stop those jealous of Robert Descharnes' relationship with Dalí from wagging their malicious tongues. Rather than honor Robert Descharnes as a hero who saved the life of the great painter, he was undeservedly scorned by those envious of the relationship he had with his friend. The undeserved resentment by Robert Descharnes' critics remains today even many years after Dali's death.

Despite the petty jealousy of others, Robert Descharnes is steadfastly dedicated to the legacy of his good friend Dali and has never wavered. Robert and his son, Nicolas Descharnes are the unmatched world experts on Salvador Dali and they are recognized by the world's largest auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby's and are sought after by many private individuals on the authentication of on Dali works of art.

On December 17, 2009, in Barcelona, Spain, Robert Descharnes was presented with a prestigious award by The President of the Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona. It was the first time the award was given to a non-citizen of the state of Spain.

Fine Art Registry will continue to report on the Descharnes' undying commitment to the great Dali. Robert Descharnes, now 84 years old, possesses a wealth of information and a rich history on the artist that simply cannot be ignored. We look forward to publishing more articles in this series in the near future.

— by Fine Art Registry®  |  March 16, 2010

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