Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, note of case hearing on 14 February 2018: Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), Salvador Dalí and Edward James (Case 17, 2017-18)

Application

1. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) met on 14 February 2018 to consider an application to export Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), Salvador Dalí and Edward James. The value shown on the export licence application was £853,047.23 which represented the hammer price paid by the owner at auction plus the buyer’s premium, plus Artist Resale Royalty. The expert adviser had objected to the export of the telephone under the first, second and third Waverley criteria on the grounds that its departure from the UK would be a misfortune because (i) it was so closely connected with our history and national life (ii) it was of outstanding aesthetic importance and (iii) it was of outstanding significance for the study of the history of Surrealism in Britain.

2. Seven of the regular eight RCEWA members were present and were joined by three independent assessors, acting as temporary members of the Reviewing Committee.

3. The applicant confirmed that the value did not include VAT and that VAT of £29,000 would be payable on the buyer’s premium in the event of a UK sale. The applicant also confirmed that the owner understood the circumstances under which an export licence might be refused and that, if the decision on the licence was deferred, the owner would allow the telephone to be displayed for fundraising purposes.

Expert’s submission 4. The expert adviser had provided a written submission stating that Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) was arguably the most successful of the surrealist objects ever produced. The surrealists wanted to generate astonishing new realities by juxtaposing unrelated objects, and the formal similarity of this pairing pointed to their functional divergence. It was conceived by Salvador Dalí and his British patron Edward James. Dalí was reported to have made a version as early as 1935, but the work under consideration resulted directly from James’s documented purchase of plaster lobsters in July 1938. 5. Alongside the formation of his art collection, James’s conception of the domestic environments in his residences at Wimpole Street, London, and Monkton, West Dean, exemplified his response to surrealism, and Lobster Telephone represented the quintessential surrealisation of an everyday object in this context. The eleven plaster lobsters that he commissioned were either

painted red or, as in the Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) under consideration, remained white and were varnished. The red versions were subsequently mounted on black telephones and white versions on white telephones. The resulting assemblages have been widely discussed and exhibited. 6. This was an object that is highly significant to the history of taste in Britain. Surrealist influence was felt most emphatically at the moment of the International Exhibition of Surrealism in London in 1936. James, who had become close friends with Dalí in 1934, was – with Roland Penrose and Herbert Read – among the British intellectuals most engaged with its ideas. The Lobster Telephone series is emblematic of the collaboration of Dalí and James, which was at its height in 1936-9. 7. Surrealism was one of the most influential currents in twentieth-century culture, creating iconic work of very significant aesthetic value. The impetus for Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) provided by Dalí reinforced this assessment, as it embodied the flair that marked him out as one of the most inventive artists of the century. His ability to conjure astonishment from ordinary situations came to maturity during the period when Lobster Telephone was conceived so that, with the closely associated Mae West Lips Sofa (also made with James), it came to stand for Surrealism. 8. Lobster Telephone was of significant scholarly interest to the history of surrealism in Britain. Much still needed to be uncovered about both Dalí and James, and their collaborations, as well as the production of this particular work. That this was rooted in Britain had the potential to cast a sharper light on a crucial period locally, nationally and internationally.

9. When questioned on how the fact that this object was an edition fitted within the Waverley criteria the expert replied that, with regard to editions, we would not, necessarily, dismiss the fact that certain Degas bronzes could potentially fall within the Waverley criteria. The multiplicity of the Lobster Telephones suggested the breadth and ambition of what James was doing at the time. Each lobster was hand-painted, the telephones were different – each object was, therefore, unique. The distinction between the white and red lobsters raised questions around how James wanted to use them within the interior he created for himself as well as how he wanted people to see them.

10. When questioned about the various telephones on which the lobsters sat, the expert replied that the telephones had a life of their own and were not all identical. One of the independent assessors explained that the lobster phones were conceived by Dalí and James and the lobsters were subsequently made in 1938. During the post-war period the lobsters were at West Dean awaiting completion. They were subsequently attached to telephones of the period. 11. When questioned about why this object was of aesthetic significance, the expert replied that this was the finest example of the conjunction of two disparate objects. As a sculpture, that spark, which these two disparate objects created, was introduced into the real world in a way in which painting

could not achieve. This sense of engaging with one’s irrational self in a physical space had shaped Western culture in a way that was still being explored.

Applicant’s submission

12. The applicant had stated in a written submission that they did not disagree that the telephone met the Waverley criteria.

Discussion by the Committee

13. The expert adviser and applicant retired and the Committee discussed the case. The Committee noted that this telephone was important for the history of surrealism, taste and design in the UK and was the last known surviving white lobster phone in the country. The white lobster phones were distinctly different to the black and red versions and were an essential part of James’s interior aesthetic. The influence of such works on contemporary artists, such as the YBAs and Jeff Koons, was evident. James played a crucial role in the international recognition and promotion of Surrealism, and his cultural significance to Britain in 1930s could not be underestimated. He was responsible for putting these objects out into the world and into people’s consciousness.

Waverley Criteria

14. The Committee voted on whether the telephone met the Waverley criteria. Of the ten members, nine voted that it met the first Waverley criterion. Eight members voted that it met the second Waverley criterion. Eight members voted that it met the third Waverley criterion. The telephone was, therefore, found to meet the first, second and third Waverley criteria for its outstanding significance for the study of the history of Surrealism, taste and design in the UK.

Matching offer

15. The Committee recommended the sum of £853,047.23 (plus VAT of £29,000) as a fair matching price.

Deferral period

16. The Committee agreed to recommend to the Secretary of State that the decision on the export licence should be deferred for an initial period of three months. If, within that period, Arts Council England received notification of a serious intention to raise funds with a view to making an offer to purchase the telephone, the Committee recommended that there should be a further deferral period of three months.

Communication of findings

17. The expert adviser and the applicant returned. The Chairman notified them of the Committee’s decision on its recommendations to the Secretary of State. The applicant confirmed that the owner would accept a matching offer at the price recommended by the Committee if the decision on the licence was deferred by the Secretary of State.

18. The expert adviser agreed to act as champion if a decision on the licence was deferred by the Secretary of State.