John Moore, 86; 20-Year Key Aide to Dali Altered Artist’s ’69 Gala Painting

John Peter Moore, 86, a close aide to Salvador Dali who was convicted of tampering with one of the surrealist master’s paintings, died Monday in Port Lligat, Spain. No cause of death was announced.

A British army captain in World War II, Moore became Dali’s assistant after meeting him in Italy in the 1950s. He accompanied Dali on many of his world tours during his 20 years as a personal assistant. When Dali became ill and bedridden, Moore’s influence over the artist’s activities increased.

In October 2004, Moore and his wife, Catherine Perrot, were convicted of tampering with Dali’s 1969 painting “The Double Image of Gala.” He and his wife were ordered to pay an estimated $1.2 million in compensation to the Dali-Gala Foundation.

A subsequent search of Moore’s home and workshops revealed 10,000 allegedly faked Dali lithographs.

Moore, who was accused of reducing the size of the 1969 canvas, denied tampering with or forging any of Dali’s work.