LEGENDARY LALANNE DEBUTS AT CHRISTIE’S PARIS
PARIS – On 20 October, as Paris honours contemporary creation with Paris+ par Art Basel, Christie’s invites art lovers to a unique sale during its 20/21 auction series. Christie’s will offer Rhinocrétaire I, the first major sculpture by François-Xavier Lalanne— widely considered to be the artist’s most important work— in a single-lot auction devoted to this masterpiece.
« Transcending the boundaries between sculpture and functional design, François-Xavier Lalanne’s rhinoceros is the work of a true visionary, which we are thrilled to offer to collectors this fall. » Agathe de Bazin, Head of Sale.
Contained within the armoured body of the animal is a hidden secretary desk, bar, safe and lamps— Lalanne’s ingenious interpretation of a classic theme in the legacy of French decorative arts— furniture with secret compartments. In Rhinocrétaire I, the artist has wittily imbued this heritage with an avant- garde and very modern twist.
Heralding an extraordinary artistic career, Rhinocrétaire I stands as a seminal prototype in François-Xavier Lalanne’s oeuvre: all the elements that would become the hallmark of the artist’s work are present. These would later culminate in his Moutons de Laine, Bar Les Autruches, Baignoires Hippopotame, and Bar YSL. Rhinocrétaire I encapsulates, prefigures, and sets the tone for the poetic excess and whimsy that would define the artist’s signature for the next forty-four years. In creating this rhinoceros, François-Xavier Lalanne knew he was following in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest artists, from the representations of animals in the Paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux, to works by Dalí or Dürer. As in the famous engraving by the German master, the rhinoceros does not simulate its real-life counterpart. However, it is Lalanne’s expressive mastery of the metal that truly gives life to the sculpture.
Provenance:
INFORMATION
Exhibitions: 27 September to 3 October and 12-20 October | Christie's Paris - 9, avenue Matignon 75008 Paris
Christie’s Paris 20/21 Week Sales:
- LIVE - 19 October, Love Stories, from the collection of Anne & Wolfgang Titze
- LIVE - 20 October, Rhinocrétaire I, François-Xavier Lalanne
- LIVE - 20 October, Avant-Garde(s) Thinking Italian
- ONLINE - 11-24 October, Art Moderne online sale
Additional sales will be announced at a later date.
