Dal铆바카라 사이트檚 Lobster Telephone at risk of leaving the UK
Arts Minister steps in to prevent Dal铆바카라 사이트檚 surrealist Lobster Telephone from export.
Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), by Salvador Dal铆 and Edward James.
Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), by Salvador Dal铆 and Edward James, to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.
The sculpture is the last known example of the hand-painted white design in the UK. It is at risk of being exported unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of 拢853,047 plus VAT.
Lobster Telephone was a collaboration between Dal铆, one of the 20th century바카라 사이트檚 most influential artists, and his patron, English poet Edward James, who was known for his promotion of the Surrealist movement.
In total, eleven Lobster Telephones were commissioned by James in 1938. Of these, seven were hand-painted white and four were painted red. Each telephone was slightly different, meaning that each is unique.
The inspiration for the iconic piece came in 1936 when Dal铆, James and others were eating lobsters and one of the discarded shells landed on a telephone.
Edward James owned one of the finest private collections of surrealist work 바카라 사이트� including both versions of the Lobster Telephone 바카라 사이트� at Monkton, his country house in West Sussex. Today, the majority of the white versions are in museums abroad, including public collections in Rotterdam, Florida, Johannesburg, Minneapolis and Lisbon.
Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:
Salvador Dali was one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. This iconic work was created in the UK, and I want it to remain here.
It is important that we keep world-class art in this country and I hope a buyer can be found to save it for the nation.
The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the , administered by The Arts Council.
RCEWA member Richard Calvocoressi said:
With its suggestion of both eroticism and menace, pleasure and pain, Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) is a classic surrealist conceit, recalling the 바카라 사이트榯rap바카라 사이트� sculptures of Giacometti바카라 사이트檚 surrealist phase. It also anticipates by half a century the confrontational but also playful sculptures made of manufactured and natural found objects by artists such as Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. Its importance cannot be overestimated.
The RCEWA noted that this 바카라 사이트榳hite on white바카라 사이트� Lobster Telephone was distinctly different from the red and black versions. It made its recommendation on the grounds of the sculpture바카라 사이트檚 close connection with our history and national life 바카라 사이트� especially James바카라 사이트檚 role as a patron and collector 바카라 사이트� its outstanding aesthetic importance and its significance for the study of the history of Surrealism, taste and design in the UK.
The decision on the export licence application for the sculpture will be deferred until 21 June 2018. This may be extended until 21 September 2018 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of 拢853,047.23 (plus VAT of 拢29,000).
Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the sculpture should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.
An image of the work can be downloaded via our .
ENDS
For media information contact: Faye Jackson, Communications Officer, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Tel: 0207 211 6263 Email: faye.jackson@culture.gov.uk
Notes to editors
- Details of the sculpture are as follows: Salvador Dal铆 (1904-89) and Edward James (1907-84) Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), 1938 Painted plaster, metal and Bakelite found object (telephone) 19 x 31.7 x 16 cm
- Provenance: Made for Edward James by Green & Abbott in 1938. The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, West Sussex.
- The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
- The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people바카라 사이트檚 lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries 바카라 사이트� from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk.