Chaises longues and sofas play a substantial part in art, e.g. such as the Velazquez’ Rokeby Venus, Canova’s Pauline Borghese as Venus and even, in the foggy distant past, the Etruscan sarcophagus from the Cerveteri necropolis. Still, as Salvador Dali’s Mae West sofa showed, the chair may also be art in its own way. Through crafting this couch, Salvador Dali, one of the best Surrealists, crafted one of the true masterpieces of sculpture. This wasn’t his first West piece. In 1934 he painted a portrait. Subsequently, with the economic backing of a prosperous art lover, he crafted the classic couch in the late thirties. 5 duplicates were reproduced by a reputable firm. The original owners have three, one can be found in the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, and one is in a private collection.
The sofa is far from being the only famous work of Surrealism requested by Edward James and today owned by the organization that bears his name — there’s also the Lobster Telephone. His creation wasn’t meant for being used for any extended period of time. According to reports he said that elements of his concept drew on a rocky outcrop near his residence– not really a path to comfort and ease. The popularity of that inspirational sex symbol — the “Brooklyn Bombshell” — has unfortunately fallen away. A similar design was used in the promotional material to launch 2005’s How I Met Your Mother, with the cast gathered around it.