.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
During the course of his career François-Xavier LaLanne (1927-2008) sculpted several representations of elephants. The present work, an impressive verdigris-toned bronze table, stylized into simplified planes, gentle curves and stepped geometric forms, is likely inspired by his travels to India, where he discovered the rich complexities of Indian art and architecture. His interest in large-scale classical sculpture of the ancient world expanded to the subcontinent where massive stone carvings of elephants were a prominent feature in the Hindu temples at Mysore and Mahabalipuram.
In Lalanne’s world, however, large mammals were not locked in granite or sandstone, they lumbered like tame, fantastic creatures in a surreal yet civilized garden, often morphing into pieces of whimsical furniture. As an artist, Lalanne sculpted form with a precise understanding of the metallurgical process; as a designer, he fairy-dusted his work with a sense of playful wonder.
Among Lalanne’s other significant elephant-themed works is the ‘Troupeau d'Éléphants dans les Arbres’ Table, 2001 from the Collection of Sydell Miller which sold at Christie’s New York on 10 June 2021. Perhaps his most delightful installation is the garden topiary for the Lyçee Français in Los Angeles. Featuring two Dumbo-like elephants supporting an arch, it welcomes school visitors with a sense of curiosity and discovery. As writer and curator Adrian Dannatt has suggested, strolling beneath the entrance, brimming with greenery, feels like a stone’s throw skip-acrossthe-pond to the work of Jeff Koons.
Classically trained by the Jesuits, François-Xavier won recognition as a young artist at the Académie Julian in Paris and worked as a draftsman for a disciple of Le Corbusier. Later, he would apply his architectural skills to his own work, rendering preliminary drawings for most of his sculptures. During his early years he worked in his atelier at the Impasse Ronsin near Montparnasse. Hardscrabble and rundown, the neighborhood nurtured a rich community of artists including Brâncuși, Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle.
By the mid-sixties François-Xavier and his wife had arrived at the heart of the European avant-garde hobnobbing not only with surrealists Dali and Duchamp but also garnering the attention of le beau monde of the fashion world. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé were great friends of the artists, often spending time at their rambling studio in Ury outside of Paris. The Parisian sale of the extraordinary YSL collection in 2009, set skyrocketing records for the works of both artists, shifting the perception of their work and broadening their audience. That momentum continues, as the lines blur between designer and artist.
– Karen Hayward, Independent Art Advisor, Academic Lecturer
In Lalanne’s world, however, large mammals were not locked in granite or sandstone, they lumbered like tame, fantastic creatures in a surreal yet civilized garden, often morphing into pieces of whimsical furniture. As an artist, Lalanne sculpted form with a precise understanding of the metallurgical process; as a designer, he fairy-dusted his work with a sense of playful wonder.
Among Lalanne’s other significant elephant-themed works is the ‘Troupeau d'Éléphants dans les Arbres’ Table, 2001 from the Collection of Sydell Miller which sold at Christie’s New York on 10 June 2021. Perhaps his most delightful installation is the garden topiary for the Lyçee Français in Los Angeles. Featuring two Dumbo-like elephants supporting an arch, it welcomes school visitors with a sense of curiosity and discovery. As writer and curator Adrian Dannatt has suggested, strolling beneath the entrance, brimming with greenery, feels like a stone’s throw skip-acrossthe-pond to the work of Jeff Koons.
Classically trained by the Jesuits, François-Xavier won recognition as a young artist at the Académie Julian in Paris and worked as a draftsman for a disciple of Le Corbusier. Later, he would apply his architectural skills to his own work, rendering preliminary drawings for most of his sculptures. During his early years he worked in his atelier at the Impasse Ronsin near Montparnasse. Hardscrabble and rundown, the neighborhood nurtured a rich community of artists including Brâncuși, Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle.
By the mid-sixties François-Xavier and his wife had arrived at the heart of the European avant-garde hobnobbing not only with surrealists Dali and Duchamp but also garnering the attention of le beau monde of the fashion world. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé were great friends of the artists, often spending time at their rambling studio in Ury outside of Paris. The Parisian sale of the extraordinary YSL collection in 2009, set skyrocketing records for the works of both artists, shifting the perception of their work and broadening their audience. That momentum continues, as the lines blur between designer and artist.
– Karen Hayward, Independent Art Advisor, Academic Lecturer