Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne has achieved iconic status, in recent years garnering a cult-like following among private collectors and luminaries such as Yves Saint Laurent, Peter Marino, Marc Jacobs, Valentino and Tom Ford. This summer Ben Brown Fine Arts will mount a major retrospective of the duo’s fantastical output, exhibiting their famous bronze sculptures together with specially commissioned new works by Claude.
Drawing inspiration from flora and fauna, the Lalannes’ sculptures embody an eclectic style that references classical antiquity, surrealism and the Baroque. As practical as they are imaginative, the Lalannes’ sculptures represent a unique marriage of fine and decorative art traditions. Les Lalanne at Ben Brown Fine Arts is the first significant retrospective to be dedicated to the work of these renowned artists in London.
Claude Lalanne (b. 1924 in Paris, lives and works in Ury, France) François-Xavier Lalanne (b. 1927 in Agen, died 2008 in Ury, France)
Known individually and collectively since the 1960s, Les Lalanne developed a style that defines inventive, poetic and surrealist sculpture. Having rediscovered the Renaissance art of casting forms from life, then employing contemporary electro-plating techniques, Claude Lalanne achieves a delicacy and sensitivity in her work unparalleled in cast bronze. François-Xavier Lalanne similarly found inspiration for his works in nature. In his words, “The animal world constitutes the richest and most varied forms on the planet.” His subjects consist of a menagerie of animals, stylized forms oftentimes married with functionality. His works achieve streamlined elegance in their profound simplicity.
Most recently, Les Lalanne were the subject of a major retrospective at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris and a large-scale public exhibition at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida. Their work was also featured on New York’s Park Avenue and in the sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent. Their work is included in major collections including the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, the Museé Nationale d’Art Moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, the Museé d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, the City of Paris, the City of Santa Monica, and the City of Jerusalem.
Ben Brown Fine Arts London 20 JUNE – 21 SEPTEMBER 2013