FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008)
Lot 21

FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008)

Agneau from the Nouveaux Moutons series

Closed1 December 2021

Price Realised

HKD 4,000,000

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FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE (1927-2008)
Agneau from the Nouveaux Moutons series
impressed ‘Blanchet Fondeur 1997 42⁄500’ (underside of the sculpture)
epoxy stone and patinated bronze sculpture
53 (H) x 63 x 20 cm (20 7⁄8 x 24 3⁄4 x 7 7⁄8 in.)
Executed in 1997
edition: 42⁄500

Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke
Private Collection (Acquired from the above by the
previous owner)
Phillips Hong Kong, 28 May 2017, lot 35
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Specialist note

“The animal world constitutes the richest and most varied forms on the planet.” Francois-Xavier Lalanne

Inspired by an episode of the Odyssey where Ulysses and his companions flee from the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus hidden under the belly of sheeps, Francois-Xavier lets his first flock invade his apartment at Impasse Robiquet in Paris in 1965. It allows the artist to bring "the countryside to Paris" and re-enchant the world. Originally designed in wool, Francois-Xavier dresses his ovids in epoxy stone in 1979, allowing them to escape to nature while retaining their pure and antique lines reminiscent of the Egyptian statuary he loves so much. It was in 1996 that the artist finally completed the family of his favourite animal with a Lamb.