Paris – On 19 October 2022, Christie's unveils in Paris a first look at 15 exceptional works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne from the collection of the artists’ daughter, Madame Marie Lalanne, that will lead Christie’s Sculpting Paradise sale taking place in New York on December 7, 2022. For this world premiere of the sale’s highlights, Christie’s is honored to partner with Kering to host a specially curated exhibition at its Paris headquarters at 40, rue de Sèvres. This exhibition, which will run concurently with the inaugural edition of Paris+ par Art Basel, comes exactly two years after a public exhibition of sculptural highlights from Christie’s sale The Secret Garden of Paul Haim held at Kering in October 2020.

On view to collectors from around the world from 19 – 23 October 2022, the preview will feature a selection of the artists’ most important works, drawn from the approximately 200 lots that will be sold at Christie’s New York in Rockefeller Center— the first sale of this scale for the artists ever held in the United States.

Staged outdoors in Kering’s landmark central courtyard, the preview in Paris will vividly bring to life the enchanting power of the legendary Lalannes, who are recognized as among the most talented and original artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. The unique architecture of this historical building will become the ephemeral setting for this fabulous collection.

Among the highlights on view are works featured in major exhibitions including Les Lalanne at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010, Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown and Les Lalanne à Trianon last year at the Château de Versailles.

Alex Heminway, Christie’s International Head of Design, remarks: “Christie’s has had the privilege of presenting works by Les Lalanne across the past three decades; despite that long commitment to the artists’ market, their preternatural work, which stands outside of nature, continues to startle with its ingenuity and profound poetry. It is an honor to be working on behalf of Madame Marie Lalanne to bring her historic collection to the public.”

Selected Works on View at Kering’s HQ in Paris

François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne both believed art should be part of everyday life, an ideal reflected in both the sculptural and functional aspects of their creations. Poisson Paysage V perfectly embodies this conviction, opening a window onto the world, both symbolically and literally.                    

Notable for their grandeur, the highlights in the exhibition explore the artists’ signature themes and creatures, from sharks to sheep, bears to birds. Juxtaposing a Grand Requin beside Trois Grands Moutons de Peter, La Grande Ourse alongside a Grand Mouflon de Ram Island, and even an Oiseau de Jardin, François-Xavier Lalanne's creations demonstrate his virtuosic skill as architect of an imaginary world, combining powerful creativity with a mastery of gesture.

The poetic work of Claude Lalanne harmonizes the realms of animal and plant, illustrated perfectly by a Grand Choupatte, one of her most emblematic creations. Exemplary of the artist’s oeuvre; it employs notions of whimsy and Surrealism, and the delicacy in the carving of the cabbage leaves evokes the intricate shapes found in her Williamsburg series of chairs and benches. Through pieces such as L'Enlèvement d'Europe and the patinated bronze ‘Petite Olympe’ Fountain, the exhibition also reveals the couple’s shared fascination with mythology.

International Tour

Following Paris, highlights from Sculpting Paradise: The Collection of Marie Lalanne will tour to Los Angeles and Dubai. Holograms of the sculptures will be presented in Hong Kong prior to the sale in New York on 7 December.

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