Press article : A bear escaped from Lalanne's poetic bestiary
A bear escaped from Lalanne's poetic bestiary
- 4/9/24
- XX° century
"Petit Ours"
A couple of art lovers in the Cannes area, enthusiast of modern art, and more particularly of animal sculptures by François-Xavier Lalanne, acquired a bronze print entitled "Le Petit Ours" some twenty years ago, which has remained in the family to this day.
From 1945, François-Xavier Lalanne studied at the Julian Academy in Paris, where he trained in drawing, painting and sculpture. Moving to a studio in Montparnasse, he rubbed shoulders with his neighbours Brancusi, Magritte and Dali. These encounters had a significant influence on his creations and his work.
But it was his meeting in 1956 with Claude Lalanne, an artist of the same name, that gave a new impetus to his career. They married and worked together under the same name. In 1962, an exhibition entitled "Zoophytes" was organised at the Jeanine Restany gallery, showing their joint works.
Thanks to their shared influences and a strong taste for drawing, the couple created an infinite variety of bestiary, plants and branches. They draw on all areas of literature and the visual arts, with references ranging from Upper Egypt to Art Nouveau, via the Pre-Raphaelites and Surrealism. The result is fish and hippos that look like they've escaped from an Egyptian mastaba, hilarious antics that look like they've emerged from rococo woodwork, and an owl or a BEAR in the animal tradition of POMPON.
Insanely funny, their work became the darling of the Paris elite, including the Rothschilds, the Noailles and Yves Saint-Laurent, whom he met when he decorated the Dior boutique on Avenue Montaigne.
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) - « Petit Ours »
Bronze with patina - Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE and numbered 5/8 - 50 x 25 x 25 cm
Provenance : Private collection, France
Estimate : 240 000€ / 300 000€
Expert : Eric SCHOELLER
For more information on this exceptional auction, please contact Maître Besch on 00.33.(0)4.93.99.33.49 or by e-mail at besch@cannesauction.com
For sale on April Sunday 28th, 2024 in Cannes in the lounges of the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, 73 boulevard de la Croisette
Exhibition in the lounges of the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes : April Saturday 27th from 4pm to 8pm & April Sunday 28th from 10.30am to 12.30pm
Besch Cannes Auction - 45, Bd de la Croisette – 06400 Cannes www.cannesauction.com – 04.93.99.33.49 – besch@cannesauction.com
