Famous Lobsters in Art

Lobsters, large marine crustaceans, have been eaten by humans since prehistoric times. They became a delicacy by the Roman period. They were also popular among the Moche people of Peru. Historically, lobsters weren’t a very common subject of artists’ interests, but they appeared from time to time. Here we have gathered all the famous lobsters we could find in art:

Lobsters in Ancient Times

Lobsters became a popular dish during Roman times, as well as other marine crustaceans, which remain popular to this day. In this fine mosaic from Pompeii, two spiny lobsters are tangled in octopus tentacles, thus creating a dynamic composition. It also suggests that this type of lobster was known and present in the Roman cuisine of the early imperial period.

The Turn of the Middle Ages and Renaissance

The lobster was mentioned in cookbooks during the medieval period. Meanwhile, its interesting shape caught the attention of the famous German draftsman and painter, Albrecht Dürer. During his first trip to Italy, the young artist showed an interest in all the unusual and exceptional features of nature, documenting plenty of weird animals. For example, in this pen drawing, the lobster is positioned to fill the entire page. This sheet is one of the studies that Dürer used as independent, rather than concrete study material.

Lobster in the Salon

This painting comes from a group of artworks that Delacroix sent to the Salon of 1827. It also included The Death of Sardanapalus, as well as others from among his finest pictures. On 28 September 1827, Delacroix wrote to his friend Charles-Raymond Soulier:

I have finished the General’s animal picture, and I have dug up a rococo frame for it, which I have had regilded and which will do for it splendidly. It has already dazzled people at a gathering of amateurs, and I think it would be amusing to see it in the Salon.

A. Joubin, Correspondance générale de Eugène Delacroix, Paris 1932–1938, I, pp.196–97. After M. Hannoosh.

Delacroix painted this picture when he returned from England, and the influence of English painters can be seen here.

In the East

Utagawa Kuniyoshi was one of the last great figures of ukiyo-e, the Japanese tradition of woodblock printing and painting. A prominent member of the Utagawa school, he became known for the remarkable variety in his work, which ranged from landscapes and portraits to Kabuki actors, cats, and fantastical beasts. In this particular print, a bird—likely a hawk—dramatically swoops down to attack a lobster.

With Oysters and Buddha

Lovis Corinth, a German painter and writer, created art that combined elements of both Impressionism and Expressionism. After studying in Paris and Munich, he became part of the Berlin Secession, later taking over as its president from Max Liebermann. His art combined a naturalistic style with strikingly bold use of color—a quality clearly visible in his depiction of the lobster.

In Picasso’s Cubist Eyes

In the 1960s, Pablo Picasso was already 80 years old. In his last years, he created more than at any other comparable period of his life. At this time, he turned to creations of fantasy and comic invention—you must admit there is something funny in this painting (personally, I love how the fish is painted). With unabated vigor, Picasso painted brilliant variations on the works of other masters, including Delacroix and Velázquez. The Still Life with Cat and Lobster copies the colors of Delacroix’s palette.

Dalí’s Lobster Telephone

For the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Salvador Dalí designed a multi-sensory installation called The Dream of Venus. As part of the spectacle, live nude models were adorned with “costumes” crafted from fresh seafood. The event was documented by photographers Horst P. Horst and George Platt Lynes. In a provocative touch typical of Dalí, lobsters were placed to cover the models’ sexual organs.

Jeff Koons’ Lobster Balloon

Furthermore, Jeff Koons‘ lobster is an obvious reference to Dali. By creating a plastic pool toy, he elevates a simple rubber toy to the art level. Lobster presents its viewers a familiarity and nostalgia, thus summoning childhood memories of summers spent by the pool. It also refers to the legacy of Duchamp. As Koons himself stated:

I’ve returned to the ready-made. I’ve returned to really enjoying thinking about Duchamp. The whole world seems to have opened itself up again to me, the dialogue of art.

Jeff Koons in Versailles, 2008.