UK bans export of Dalí's 'lobster telephone'

The artistic genius from Cadaqués (Girona province) created 11 lobster telephone sculptures with the help of his British counterpart Edward James in the mid-1930s, and the piece in question – made from white ceramic – dates back to 1936 and has been put on sale for the sum of £853,047 (€980,492).

Culture minister Michael Ellis says the identity of the current owner cannot be revealed, but that 'unless a buyer can be found', the ornament 'is at risk of being exported'.

The ban on its travelling abroad is in force until June 21, but is likely to be renewed for another three calendar months if any buyer shows 'a serious intention of raising funds' to purchase it.

It has been imposed at the recommendation of the Review Committee for the Export of Works of Art (RCEWA), which says the lobster telephone 'has a close relationship with national history' in the UK because of Edward James' involvement in its creation, which makes it 'very significant for the study of surrealist art' in the country.

The piece was sold at auction at Christie's in London in January 2017 for £850,000 (€976,395) and has remained the property of the buyer ever since.

Dalí and James created seven white and four red lobster telephones, which are curently spread out around the world in museums as far apart as Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal) and Johannesburg (South Africa).

The British government says Dalí was 'one of the most influential artists of the 20^th century' and that his friend Edward James was 'one of the people who most promoted the surrealist movement', whilst Christie's calls the lobster telephone 'an iconic symbol'.

“The juxtaposition of everyday objects to make them amusing or avant-garde constituted the main premise of surrealism, and this work is a primordial example,” Christie's says.

Photograph by the British ministry of culture