Francois-Xavier Lalanne Rabbit 13x33x13 cm 1987-95 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Bird 22.5x116.5x120 cm 2003-2008 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne 1927-2008 Bird in the Garden 120x130x190 cm 1974 polished steel and copper
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Sheep 90x99x36 cm 1995 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Donkey 143x155x202 cm 1990-2002 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Green Sculpture Turtle 43x123x76 cm 1992-2003 Bronze and plants
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Large Rhino V 129x265x75 cm 1991 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Nathalie's Donkey 182x187x53 cm 1973-2007 Bronze and wood
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Large Elk 233x151x127 cm 1996-99 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Polar Bear 300x127x120 cm 1994-2015 Bronze
Francois-Xavier Lalanne Landscape Fish IV 170x116x40 cm 2007 Bronze

Text/Photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. Dates: June 2 to July 28. Venue: Mitterrand Gallery.

"The highest art is the art of living." — Lalanne

François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008) and Claude Lalanne (born 1924) are a rare, famous French couple of artists who both practiced what they considered "the highest art is the art of living": their works are both artworks and functional household objects and sculptures. François-Xavier is known for his modern animal sculptures. He was a sculptor and printmaker who went to Paris in 1949 to study drawing, sculpture, and painting at the Julian studio in Montparnasse, renting a studio next door and becoming neighbors with the great sculptor Brancusi. Clearly, François-Xavier’s modernist sculpture was subtly influenced by him. Through Brancusi’s introduction, he met active artists such as Magritte, Dalí, and Duchamp, and was also indirectly influenced by the Surrealists. In 1950, he decorated the Dior fashion store; two years later, he held his first solo exhibition (painting) in Paris. (Note 1)

The couple began working together from 1956, and started creating three-dimensional sculptures due to the reconstruction project of the Parc de la Villette in Paris. They married in 1967. Starting in the 1960s, Lalanne discovered traditional shapes in nature, finding inspiration in lines and textures. Claude was particularly inspired by plants and flowers, while François-Xavier was interested in animals. They began to gain public attention in the art world. When Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé commissioned them for a series of works, it further increased their international fame. In 1976, the well-known French singer Serge Gainsbourg chose their works for album covers. In 1983, they designed a large fountain for a square in Paris, followed by public sculpture works in London and New York, such as the "New York Apple" on 52nd Street and the "Sheep" on 53rd Street. In autumn 2013, Lalanne's flock of sheep dramatically appeared at a gas station in Manhattan's Chelsea district. (Note 2)

François-Xavier focused on concise, powerful sculptures with streamlined forms and solid volumes, featuring domestic animals like rabbits, sheep, birds, turtles, and donkeys, or wild rhinos and polar bears. Functional sculptural designs included rhino or donkey desks, sardine sofa beds, garden bird rocking chairs, and garden items such as sheep flocks, turtle and donkey flower pots, and window sculptures of cows or fish. Under the masterful techniques of welding, electroplating, and molding, these pieces exude a fantasy-like surrealist ode.

Notes 1–2: Biographical data from Wikipedia.