François-Xavier LALANNE (1927-2008) - Lot 94

François-Xavier LALANNE (1927-2008) The Spider, 2003 Pigment print on German Etching rag paper, signed in pencil lower right. H_ 38 cm W_ 28 cm Limited edition of 75. François-Xavier Lalanne (August 28, 1927 - December 7, 2008) was a French sculptor, printmaker and designer whose poetic, surrealist work has profoundly influenced contemporary art of the XXᵉ century. Born in Agen (Lot-et-Garonne, France), he studied drawing, painting and sculpture at the Académie Julian in Paris from 1946, frequenting major artists such as René Magritte, Salvador Dalí and Constantin Brâncuși, who influenced his creative imagination very early in his career.In the 1950s, Lalanne evolved from a pictorial practice to animal sculpture and art objects, exploring a universe where nature, humor and surrealism meet. From the late 1950s and especially in the 1960s, he worked closely with Claude Lalanne, his partner and future wife (they married in 1967), forming with her the famous artistic duo known as the "Lalannes".François-Xavier's bestiary is at the heart of his work: sheep, rhinoceroses, donkeys, birds and other creatures are sculpted with humor and poetry, often with a functional dimension (e.g. sheep-shaped chairs or rhino-formed desks), deliberately blurring the boundaries between art, utilitarian design and sculpture - an approach that clearly sets him apart from the dominant currents of the time.François-Xavier Lalanne's works have been exhibited in prestigious museums and integrated into public and private collections worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York and museums in Asia and Europe. A major retrospective devoted to him (and Claude) was held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010, attesting to the lasting impact of their work.