Salvador Dali "Cybernetic Lobster Telephone" Surrealist 1975 12.5x15.5 Custom Framed with Archival Mat Surrealist PP Lithograph on Arches Paper (Publisher COA)

Salvador Dali Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper: 1975. Image Reference: Field 75-11. Includes a Dali logo signature (piece is not hand-signed).

In 1936 Dali created a Surrealist object, made from the conjunction of items not normally associated with each other, resulting in something both playful and menacing. Dalí believed that such objects could reveal the secret desires of the unconscious. Lobsters and telephones had strong sexual connotations for Dalí. The telephone appears in certain paintings of the late 1930s such as Mountain Lake (Tate Gallery T01979), and the lobster appears in drawings and designs, usually associated with erotic pleasure and pain. For the 1939 New York World's Fair, Dalí created a multi-media experience entitled The Dream of Venus, which consisted in part of dressing live nude models in 'costumes' made of fresh seafood, an event photographed by Horst P. Horst and George Platt Lynes. A lobster was used by the artist to cover the female sexual organs of his models. Dalí often drew a close analogy between food and sex. In Lobster Telephone, the crustacean's tail, where its sexual parts are located, is placed directly over the mouthpiece.



Authenticated in the "Official Catalog of The Graphic Works of Salvador Dali" by Albert Field, page 104 from the Imaginations and Objects of the Future Suite 1975.

Titled “Cybernetic Lobster Telephone”.

Dali wrote:

Cybernetic Lobster telephone

THIS is an aesthetic variation of the telephone. It will contain organic or radioactive substances in telephone form. Televised pictures of what we are saying will appear on the dial. We will not have to speak into this phone we have only to think to transmit. We can transmit not only ideas and words, but emotions. The lobster is used here in a symbolic way. The lobster is an organic substance with many feelers.

Smartphone envisioned in the early 1970's by Dali. This was before the cell phone, smartphone, and the future video phone. Dali's future in 1973 is eerily a vision of the future displayed on a surrealistic setting.

This is a Color trial proof (TP) lithograph on Arches paper. Image measures 8" x 10" and sheet measures 9.25" x 11.25" in size. Matted to an overall size of approximately 11" x 14". New Custom 15 x 18 black frame. The piece includes a publisher’s COA.

In 1972-73 Robert Chase proposed the concept to Dali of picturing himself as the 20th century Leonardo da Vinci, giving the world what he imagined the future would hold. Knowing that Dali admired da Vinci greatly as a thinker and a creative genius, still, was not adequate preparation for his reaction. Dali rolled his eyes as indication of an extraordinary epiphany, and (please imagine an outrageous French-Catalan accent) he loudly exclaimed, "Fantastique! Bravo! Dal-i creates the future.

The work of Salvador Dali (1904-1989) is associated with the surrealist movement of the 20th Century. A diverse and multi-talented artist, Dali is considered one of the most collected artists today, and his works offer an incredible opportunity for enormous appreciation in value. In addition to his original works, Dali produced works on paper for reproduction using drypoint, etching, woodcut, and lithography. Many of his works are held in prestigious museums, private and public collections worldwide.

Authentication: Co-Publisher Certificate of Authenticity

Due to the uniqueness of each item, please refer to the photos provided in this auction. We offer high resolution images of each item rather than a written description of condition.

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