The artwork entitled “Lobster Telephone,” created by the illustrious surrealist Salvador Dali in 1938, is an iconic sculpture stemming from the Surrealism art movement. As a part of the “Lobster/Aphrodisiac Telephone” series, this thought-provoking piece is crafted from an assembly of materials including rubber, plaster, paper, and painted metal. The piece currently resides within the Tate Modern in London, UK, and serves as a testament to Dali’s imaginative and unconventional approach to art.
The sculpture presents a striking amalgamation of a lobster and a rotary dial telephone. The lobster is positioned atop the telephone, replacing the handset, with its tail extending backwards and its claws seemingly at rest across the dial. This composition acts as a physical manifestation of the surrealist attempt to disrupt the mundane and merge the ordinary with the unexpected, creating an uncanny object that blurs the boundaries of functionality and symbolism. The telephone, an object symbolic of communication, is juxtaposed with the lobster, which Dali connected with both sexual connotations and the surreal. The creamy beige color of the handset contrasts with the metallic dial and cord, while the texture of the lobster, detailed and organic, stands in stark contrast to the smooth, manufactured appearance of the telephone. This work invites viewers to explore the depths of subconscious associations, prompting a dialogue between reality and the dream world, a hallmark of Dali’s prodigious body of work.
