© Edouard Boubat
Claude et François-Xavier Lalanne à Ury
Biographies
Shared Creation
Since 1956, Les Lalanne have developed two parallel bodies of work characterised by surrealist associations, humour and poetry.
Les Lalanne have always shared the belief that sculpture, and art more broadly, can have a functional dimension. Their entire career has been driven by this desire to give sculpture, traditionally regarded as sacred, a familiar dimension with a potential use.
Claude Lalanne et Yves Saint Laurent
François-Xavier Lalanne, Chameaux, Galerie Iolas
Photo: Paul Kasmin © Estate of Paul Kasmin,
Courtesy of Kasmin, New-York
Vue d'atelier à Ury
© Édouard Boubat
Claude et François-Xavier Lalanne, dans l'atelier à Ury
A shared destiny
After their first joint exhibition at Galerie J in Paris in 1964, Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne were represented together around the world.
Thanks to Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, they met Alexandre Iolas, who exhibited their work for several years in his various galleries around the world. This marked their entry into some of the most prestigious international collections. Les Lalanne subsequently exhibited regularly with three galleries : Ben Brown, Paul Kasmin and Galerie Mitterrand.
Photo: Paul Kasmin © Estate of Paul Kasmin,
Courtesy of Kasmin, New-York
Claude et François-Xavier Lalanne, Pomme de Ben, bronze
François-Xavier Lalanne, Grand Chat Polymorphe, Grand Oiseau de Nuit, Grand Wapiti, bronze
Claude Lalanne, Pommes, bronze
A unique approach
Nature, and more specifically the animal world, provides them with an infinite array of universal forms, which they combine with great humour (the Toad Armchair, the Donkey Desk, the Rhinoceros Desk, the Onion Watch, etc.).
Their work, which defies classification, occupies a special place in art history. Highly prized by collectors, institutions and the general public alike, it can now be found in some of the world's most prestigious public and private collections.
Photo: Paul Kasmin © Estate of Paul Kasmin,
Courtesy of Kasmin, New-York
Park Avenue, New-York, Les Lalanne
International reputation
Their works have been featured in major
exhibitions around the world.
Notably at the Whitechapel in London in 1976, the Château de Chenonceau in 1991, the Château de Bagatelle in 1998, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010, the Château de Versailles and the Clark Art Institute in the United States in 2021.