Salvador Dalí’s “Lobster Telephone”: Surrealism on the Line

In 1936, Salvador Dalí unveiled one of his most playful and subversive creations: Lobster Telephone. At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary rotary telephone. Yet, instead of a conventional handset, a large, realistic lobster rests atop the device, transforming a mundane object of communication into a bizarre and unsettling hybrid.

This work epitomizes Dalí’s approach to Surrealism. Influenced by Sigmund Freud’s theories of the unconscious and dreams, Surrealist artists sought to disrupt rationality and uncover hidden desires by combining unrelated objects. Dalí’s pairing of a lobster with a telephone is an unexpected juxtaposition that creates both humor and discomfort, echoing André Breton’s call for “convulsive beauty” in the ordinary.

For Dalí, the lobster carried erotic and symbolic connotations. Its claws and body shape allude to sensuality, while the telephone—an instrument of connection and conversation—suggests intimacy and communication. By merging the two, Dalí transforms an everyday act—answering a call—into a surreal and vaguely erotic encounter.

Eleven examples of Lobster Telephone were produced, with variations in color: some feature a black telephone with a red lobster, others a white telephone with a white lobster. Today, these works are housed in major museums including Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

More than a whimsical object, Lobster Telephone embodies Dalí’s ability to challenge perceptions and destabilize reality. By inviting viewers to see familiar objects in strange contexts, Dalí reminds us that the boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary is thinner than we imagine.