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The egg, an inspiration for art from Ancient Egypt to Salvador Dalí

The book ‘The Gourmand’s Egg. A Collection of Stories & Recipes’ seeks to place this universal symbol in its rightful place in history

Cover image of ‘The Gourmand’s Egg. A Collection of Stories & Recipes.’
Cover image of ‘The Gourmand’s Egg. A Collection of Stories & Recipes.’Bobby Doherty (Cortesía de Tasc
Armando Quesada Webb

Salvador Dalí painted eggs. So did Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Paul Cézanne. Paul Newman swallowed 50 of them, hard-boiled, in Cool Hand Luke. Alfred Hitchcock thought their white, oval shape was disgusting. Now the book The Gourmand’s Egg. A Collection of Stories & Recipes, which will be published in Spanish in September, reveals how the egg has been an intrinsic element in the history of art, with references even discovered in Ancient Egypt.

For the book’s editor, David Lane, “they hold meaning and metaphor and can represent any emotion. They are recognizable in many physical states: whole, cracked, soft, fried, poached, boiled. They are strong and confident, but also incredibly fragile. They represent birth and new beginnings, but also death,” he tells EL PAÍS via email. The book also includes a collection of recipes to highlight the universality of eggs, in art and in the kitchen.

Lid of an alabaster jar decorated with a bird in a nest and eggs in a bowl, from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Lid of an alabaster jar decorated with a bird in a nest and eggs in a bowl, from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.Robert Harding / Alamy (Cortesí (Alamy Stock Photo)
'Broken Heart' (2011), by JeeYoung Lee.
'Broken Heart' (2011), by JeeYoung Lee.JeeYoung Lee (Cortesía de Tasch
Salvador Dalí with one of his sculptures in 1970.
Salvador Dalí with one of his sculptures in 1970.Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Ala (Alamy Stock Photo)
'Eyes and eggs' (1983), by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
'Eyes and eggs' (1983), by Jean-Michel Basquiat.Jean-Michel Basquiat (Cortesía (Galerie Enrico Navarra)
Self Portrait with Fried Eggs, by Sarah Lucas (1996).
Self Portrait with Fried Eggs, by Sarah Lucas (1996).Sarah Lucas (Cortesía de Tasche
'Wild Raspberries' (1959), by Andy Warhol and Suzie Frankfurt.
'Wild Raspberries' (1959), by Andy Warhol and Suzie Frankfurt.Andy Warhol (Cortesía de Tasche
Paul Cézanne's 'Still Life With Bread and Eggs' (1865).
Paul Cézanne's 'Still Life With Bread and Eggs' (1865).Taschen (Alamy Stock Photo)

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