Crustacean Temptation: The Alluring Legacy of Dalí's Lobster in Art and Fashion

“Lobster Telephone” or "Le Téléphone Aphrodisiaque" created by Salvador Dalí in 1936, is an artwork that masterfully exemplifies his surrealist style, merging everyday objects in unexpected and provocative ways. Composed of an antique telephone base and an elegant receiver shaped like a lobster, this piece embodies Dalí’s vision of the lobster and the telephone as symbols of sexuality, blending eroticism with culinary luxury.

An exquisite blend of surrealism and eroticism.

The inspiration for the lobster as an erotic symbol can be traced to an intimate anecdote from Dalí’s life. During a stay in London with his lover Gala, the two were in the room of his patron Edward James, savoring lobsters. At the end of the meal, they tossed the shells to one side of the bed, and one landed on a telephone. This scene of decadent casualness likely inspired Dalí to create the "Lobster Telephone."

 Dalí and Gala - A love story entwined with surrealism.

Dalí's telephones appear to be made from real lobsters, so much so that in 1938, the artist exhibited a live lobster on a red-painted telephone in New York. For the 11 pieces created, the interior of each plaster lobster was hollowed out to fit a telephone receiver, and a hole was made in the tail to insert the cord. Dalí further explored this erotic association with his 1939 project "The Dream of Venus" at the New York World's Fair, where he designed an installation funded by James that included nude women adorned with beach costumes and live lobsters placed on their genitals.

 The Dream of Venus: an erotic exploration.

In his autobiographical book "The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí," the artist expressed his thoughts on the association between lobsters and telephones:

"I do not understand why, when I ask for a grilled lobster in a restaurant, I am never served a cooked telephone; I do not understand why champagne is always chilled, and why, on the other hand, telephones, which are habitually so frightfully warm and disagreeably sticky to the touch, are not also put in silver buckets with crushed ice around them."

Dalí’s 1938 "Lobster Telephone," formally titled “Le Téléphone Aphrodisiaque,” is thus a vibrant expression of his surreal and provocative vision, where eroticism and desire intertwine through the use of the lobster.

The infamous Schiaparelli Lobster Dress.

Another significant exploration of the lobster as an erotic symbol is found in Dalí's collaboration with fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. In 1937, Schiaparelli worked with Dalí on a dress for Wallis Simpson, featuring a large lobster painted on the skirt, positioned low between the legs with its tail pointing upwards. This dress, one of 18 pieces designed by Schiaparelli for Simpson's marriage to the Duke of Windsor, caused a scandal, with many claiming it was laden with eroticism. The press criticized Simpson for wearing the dress, calling it "laden with frivolous eroticism" and giving the British public "one more reason to hate Wallis."

In Schiaparelli's Spring-Summer 2024 runway show, the legacy of Dalí's lobster shines once again. Schiaparelli’s totemic animal, the unmistakable lobster, returns to play on the catwalks, evoking Dalí's creative genius and the subtle line between art and fashion. A revival that, even with a certain reverential awe, reaffirms the evocative power and sensuality that have always characterized this iconic collaboration.

Thus, the story of the "Lobster Telephone" continues to enchant and provoke, blending the allure of surrealism with the irresistible appeal of eroticism.