François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008)

Since the first flock of 24 was conceived in Paris in 1965, François-Xavier Lalanne’s Moutons have become his most iconic and iterative work. Elegant yet whimsical, perplexing yet seductive, this Troupeau de moutons embodies the fantastical and all-encompassing magical kingdom that Les Lalannes imagined and crafted throughout their lives.
François-Xavier Lalanne’s flair for the surreal is a recurring cornerstone in his design. In the early 1950s, François-Xavier lived in Paris in the Impasse Ronsin, where he developed a friendship with his neighbor, Constantin Brancusi, and later socialized with Max Ernst and Man Ray. Influenced by the Surrealist impulses of these peers, François-Xavier Lalanne’s work evolved into whimsical designs that simultaneously provided function and comfort. The sheep themselves were born of this whimsy, as François-Xavier once explained “I thought that it would be funny to invade that big living room with a flock of sheep. It is, after all, easier to have a sculpture in an apartment than to have a real sheep. And, it’s even better if you can sit on it” (quoted in op. cit., 1998, p. 36). Lalanne’s inaugural flock, Moutons de Laine, was an homage to the daring passage in Homer’s Odyssey, where Ulysses and his comrades narrowly escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus’ cave. The troupe clung to the underbellies of the great giant sheep, even as the monstrous blind ogre runs his hand over their woolly coats.
In the Paris apartment, the sheeps’ fluffy and illustrious coats added a plush comfort to the whimsical space. In Ury, at Les Lalanne’s country home just south of Paris, François-Xavier began to re-imagine his iconic form. Claude Lalanne grew inspired by their gardens, crafting smaller, delicate works that referenced their botanical haven. She crafted delicate and spindly gold branches, entwining them into elegant candelabras, or adorned mirrors with bronze foliage. Her husband, on the other hand, found the countryside inspirational for large and imaginative design. François-Xavier stripped away the furry woolly exterior and dressed the flock in epoxy stone. He placed them in the countryside, allowing them to “graze” in the outdoors.
The present flock encompasses several of the Mouton’s most distinctive designs. Varying in size and demeanor, each sheep is personified and individualized, presenting their own unique character and personality. Smallest and most demure, the Agneaux are the darling of the flock, with petite and spindly hooves that evoke mischief and youthful wonder. Slightly larger, the Moutons de Pierre and the Brebis represent the formal composition of the flock. Some present with rounder stomachs and softer features, others slightly lean and with a darker patina. The three Moutons Transhumant represent the flock’s wandering nature, their name speaking to a nomadic migration, suggesting this flock may wander throughout the seasons. Finally, the Bélier presides over the flock, a strong ram with curled and prominent horns. As a whole, each sheep’s individual personality contributes to the flock’s surrealist and whimsical presence.
Today, Lalanne’s Moutons have been coveted by collectors and designers such as Yves Saint-Laurent, Tom Ford, Peter Marino, Karl Lagerfeld and Hubert de Givenchy. Les Lalanne was also the subject of a major retrospective at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010, and their career and legacy will be explored at the Clarke Institute in Massachusetts in 2021.