'Dali wanted his mouth to be very realistic': fabled lip sofa prototype at heart of new Surrealist show in Paris

"Dalí wanted this mouth to be very realistic," says Madera. "He was experimenting with new materials." Being able to see first-hand the results of this experimentation is special, because as productive as Dalí was, not that much of his design work remains.

The Xai table, meanwhile, a sort of taxidermied lamb with golden feet and a drawer in its belly, was inspired by the 1942 painting Interpretation Project for a Stable Library.

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