Press article : "A Lalanne sculpture to be auctioned " - Nice Matin
"A Lalanne sculpture to be auctioned " - Nice Matin
- 7/28/19
- XX° century
"Main de Roman", 1993
A sculpture of the famous couple of artists will soon be on sale in Cannes
On August 15, Besch Cannes Auction is back for a summer sale entitled "From Impressionists to Contemporaries - Paintings, Furniture Art Deco, Glassware 1900". Several flagship lots already fuel the interest of collectors. Among them is a remarkable sculpture of the Lalanne, François-Xavier (1927-2008) and Claude (1925-2019): a "Main de Roman" in bronze dated 1993 and estimated at between 28000 and 35000 euros, on which a bird is delicately placed on a sturdy hand.
For more than fifty years, this world-famous artist couple has formed a united duo, both personally and professionally. A complementarity thanks to which they have created, together or separately, splendid poetic pieces prized by the most prestigious collectors, such as Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint-Laurent, the Rothschild or the Agnelli. Author of a bestiary populated by domestic and wild animals (sheep, rhinoceros, fish, birds...), François-Xavier Lalanne knew how to combine aesthetics and functionality of objects. From there his surrealist furniture was born: toad chairs, ostrich bar, rhinoceros secretary, bird table, sardine box sofa, hippopotamus bathtub, and many other pieces that are always in demand. " When one can sit on a work, it becomes more familiar ", so liked to say the artist. The prices of this unique furniture have soared in recent years at auction. In December 2017, a 1967 bar "Les Autruches" published by the Sèvres factory was awarded for 6.2 million euros at Sotheby’s. An equally demanding artist, Claude gave his preference to plants.
One of his most famous sculptures is "The Cabbage-Headed Man", made in 1968, and which inspired Gainsbourg with its concept album released in 1976. Beyond the sculpture of the Lalanne, the vacation also presents several exceptional lots: a canvas by Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), "Harlequin à la Lyre" (estimate: 40000/45000 euros), a landscape of "Saint-Tropez le bout du port, 1950 " by Charles Camoin (1879-1965), by Edouard Vuillard’s "Anémones" (1868-1940) (estimate: 60000 - 70000 euros), or by a bottle with a cap decorated with Lalique pepper kernels.
These lots will be exhibited on 13, 14 August and 15 August in the morning at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes.
Laurence Giudicelli - Nice Matin
