They’re playful and fanciful, functional and fun. It seems everyone has fallen for the fantastical beasts created by the late post-war artist François-Xavier Lalanne. The French sculptor had a passion for art history, and he infused his creatures with a hint of Surrealism — making these endearing figures feel both classical and contemporary at the same time.

Photography by Brian Ferry
Precisely why last fall, Christie’s in New York City devoted an entire sale to Lalanne’s works, creating a global event where some 70 pieces were on offer, all culled from the personal collection of the sculptor’s daughter Dorothée Lalanne. The idea was to build on the massive appeal of Lalanne’s creations, which, for decades, have been beloved by art connoisseurs and famed fashion designers alike.
“A pivotal moment in their market trajectory came in 2009 when Christie’s auctioned the personal collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, setting a record at the time with a total of €373.9 million,” says Christie’s Senior Vice President, Head of Design, Americas Daphné Riou. “This historic sale cemented the artist’s market presence, and demand has only surged since.”

Photo Courtesy Jean-Philippe Lalanne © Archive Dorothée Lalanne_ Les Lalanne © 2024 Artist Rights Society (ARS)
To celebrate this Lalanne love, Christie’s sought out French fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus to create a six-day immersive display for these tortoises, bears and owls — all set into a series of galleries at Christie’s in New York City. Here, a wheat field formed the backdrop for deer, which served as benches, and turtles turned into topiaries. Nearby, a worn wooden farm table provided a note of organic texture for “Âne de Nathalie,” an iconic donkey sculpture whose side opens into a desk.

Photography by Brian Ferry
“François-Xavier worked in a way that appeared casual but was, in fact, very rigorous, thoughtful and elegant,” Dorothée Lalanne told Christie’s in a presale statement, adding: “It seemed very natural that Simon Porte Jacquemus would create the exhibition for this auction; his work is so playful, so full of light and joy and as unexpected as François-Xavier’s work.”
All this presale pizazz paid off as the landmark auction took in nearly $59 million — more than doubling the high estimates. The live sale went on for four hours as savvy bidders competed on the phone, online and in person — all from the storied Rockefeller Center salesroom. Four pieces set world records, while every single sculpture up for sale found a buyer.

Photography provided by Christie’s
The star lot was the massive “Très Grand Centaure,” which Christie’s deftly displayed at the entryway to the auction. It went for $7.5 million amid fierce back-and-forth bidding, more than nine times its low estimate. Towering up 11 feet tall, the stately sculpture became the auction’s elegant showstopper.

Photography by Brian Ferry
“One of my favorite pieces from the sale is ‘Très Grand Ours,’ a sleek, upright bear with a nearly human posture. It sold for $6.1 million, doubling its high estimate and setting a new record for the model,” Riou points out. “Another remarkable lot is ‘Chouette de Jardin,’ which was a delightful discovery. As Madame Lalanne recounted, it had been forgotten in the artist’s garden at Ury and only rediscovered when it was brought out for cleaning — her first time seeing it.”

Photography by Brian Ferry
Indeed, from tiny birds to life-sized sheep, these endearing sculptures have found new homes across the globe — where they will no doubt continue to enchant. “There’s this archetypal quality of humor, menace and fantasy that is highly reflective of antiquity,” Alex Heminway, Christie’s international head of design, sums up. “The excitement in the build-up to the sale was mirrored by our clients’ enthusiasm, and the results were everything we hoped for and more.”