With a known penchant for taxidermy, surrealist artist Salvador Dali would often include animals in his artworks and private collection, which included a skeleton of a medium-sized gorilla!
A surreal furniture collection was started in 1972 to represent Dali’s sketch book ideas and included the creation of the ‘Lips’ sofa from Dali’s sculpture, which were based on the lips of the actress Mae West. This is now installed at the Mae West Sala at the Figueras Theatre-Museum where Dali is buried in Spain.
Appearing in Dali’s painting “Interpretation Project for a Stable-Library” (1942), is a little lamb-table with a characteristic Dali-drawer.
In 2016 architect Oscar Tusquets, BD Barcelona Design and revered Barcelona taxidermist, Deyrolle carried out a project that has resulted in the production of a limited-edition collection of 20 white lamb tables exactly like the one in the painting, along with a single black one.
Working closely with the very taxidermist Dali himself favoured, animals were carefully chosen for customisation and the resulting tables are excellent examples of both taxidermy and elaborated carpentry, with the addition of a table, a drawer and intricate little bronze hoofs.
The project is endorsed by the Gala Salvador Dali Foundation and the pieces are available for sale, with one currently on show at the Living Edge showroom in Sydney.
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