A sale at Christie’s Paris rooms on September 14 featured several high prices for pieces by Les Lalanne including a patinated bronze and copper chandelier, Structure végétale, by Claude that made €3.1m (£2.65m) – €3.74m (£3.2m) including premium – a new auction record for the artist.
‘Structure végétale’, a 16-light patinated bronze and copper chandelier from 2003 by Claude Lalanne, sold at Christie’s Paris on September 14 for €3.1m (£2.65m) hammer, €3.74m (£3.2m) including premium, a new auction record for the artist. Image copyright: Christie’s Images Limited 2021
Image copyright: Christie’s Images Limited 2021
More works by Les Lalanne come up for sale this autumn. The French auction firm Osenat and Sotheby’s Paris are both offering notable groups of works by the famous French couple.
On October 3 Osenat is holding a sale in Fontainebleau of works from the art collection of the CEDEP (Centre Européen d’Education Permanente), a training centre for company executives. The CEDEP was based in Fontainebleau until this year, when it changed to a nomadic education centre.
In 1990 Les Lalanne, who had a studio nearby in Ury, designed a park for the CEDEP installing a series of monumental sculptures and topiary. Three of the garden statues created for the park will be offered in the Osenat sale along with works from the Centre’s collection commissioned from other artists.
The three Lalanne sculptures are a bronze group of L’Enlèvement d’Europe (The Abduction of Europa) by Claude, conceived in 1990 and two unique figures on pedestals in cast concrete representing La Loi (Law) and La Science (Science) that were created c.1990-91 by François-Xavier.
The Enlèvement d’Europe, which stands 6ft 7in (2m) high, is signed with initials, has the atelier stamp and is numbered 1/1 CL LALANNE, has an estimate of €600,000-800,000.
François-Xavier’s La Loi is 10ft 10in (3.3m) in height while La Science stands 10ft 8in (3.25m) high. Each has an estimate of €500,000-700,000.
Daughter’s consignment
Sotheby’s is holding a three-part auction dedicated to works by Les Lalanne that come from the private collection of their daughter Dorothée. Over 200 pieces of sculpture, drawings, prints and jewellery are to be offered over three sales in October-November.
A live auction staged in Paris on November 4 will be given over to sculptures and includes a number of major pieces such as Minotaure, a monumental work from 2004 estimated at €1m-£1.5m; Trois Grands Moutons de Peter from 2008 estimated at €700,000- €1m and Gorille de Sûreté I from 2006 guided at €400,000-€600,000.
The two other sales are both online auctions running from October 25 to November 5, one devoted to graphic works by François-Xavier, the other featuring Claude’s jewellery and accessories.
