Stories from the Studio: Les Lalanne

H E L L O  F R I E N D S !

Those of you who have been long-time followers may already be familiar with one of the primary inspirations behind the creation of Chicken Footstools—the sheep sculpted by French artist Francois-Xavier Lalanne. In today’s story from the studio, I want to re-highlight the sculptural and decorative artwork of both he and his wife, Claude, who were collectively known as Les Lalanne.

Here is an excerpt from a Christie’s article explaining their artistic intentions…

“Both François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne believed art should be part of the everyday, an idea that shines through in their sculptural yet functional creations. Even the sheep are intended to be used as furniture. 

‘I thought that it would be funny to invade that big living room with a flock of sheep,’ François-Xavier once explained. ‘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.”

Sound familiar?

I have had the pleasure of interacting with Les Lalanne’s work a few different times in my life.

First, we visited the home of a chicken collector in California in 2019 who had a Lalanne gorilla fireplace and two of their bird sculptures. What an honor for our Little Coquette to reside in the living room alongside them!

Next, and more recently, my family and I discovered a room FULL of Les Lalanne pieces in a dedicated gallery in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris this year. Finding the collection felt like a true treasure hunt as it was up in a special tower on the fifth floor (ask for directions at the front desk!). If you ever have an opportunity to visit I would highly recommend it.

I’ll leave you with another of our favorite quotes from Francois-Xavier:

“Everyone can recognize animals throughout the world. You don't have to explain what they are or mean.”

Cordialement,

Sally & thecgf studio