On the occasion of its first participation in TEFAF Maastricht, Galerie Mitterrand is pleased to bring together a body of work by the iconic artist couple Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. This show will feature a selection of major pieces, such as François-Xavier Lalanne’s La Grande Carpe, and Claude Lalanne’s Bureau Crocodile.
Originally designed for fashion designer Tom Ford in New York, the Bureau Crocodile (‘Crocodile desk’) is part of Claude Lalanne’s famous set of Crocodile furniture, and one of the finest examples of the artist’s surrealist creativity and audacity. For several decades, Claude Lalanne’s work has been a testimony to her affection for organic forms, the use of imprints and the technique of galvanoplastie. In her search for a singular plastic universe, drawing inspiration from nature, Claude Lalanne paid a visit to a zoo on a full moon night. The vision of changing light and reflections on the animals’ bodies was a determining experience in her creative process. Claude Lalanne directly incorporated the animal’s unique form into her bronze work by molding real crocodile skins.
La Grande Carpe that we will be showing is a remarkable piece by François-Xavier Lalanne, originating directly from the artist’s Estate. This sculpture is yet another example of his mastery in translating the animal’s shapes with both great simplicity and majesty. It was exhibited in the 2021 exhibition Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature transformed, at the Clark Museum, Williamstown, USA, at the Chateau de Versailles for Les Lalanne à Trianon the same year, and in the 1998 Les Lalanne à Bagatelle, at the Bagatelle Park, Bois de Boulogne, Paris.
