Beschreibung:

36 François-Xavier Lalanne Mouton ‘Brebis’ 《母羊》 1994 bronze and epoxy stone 92 x 102 x 41 cm (36 1/4 x 40 1/8 x 16 1/8 in.) Edited by Blanchet-Landowski, Bagnolet, France. Executed in 1994, this work is number 22 from the edition of 250. Impressed Blanchet Fondeur 1994/22/250.
Provenance Gallery Guy Pieters, Knokke, Belgium Acquired from the above by the present owner Literature Robert Rosenblum, Claude et François-Xavier Lalanne exh. cat., Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceaux, 1991, pp. 122, 124, 127 Daniel Marchessau, The Lalannes, France, 1998, p. 37 Daniel Abadie, Lalanne(s), Paris, 2008, p. 188 Daniel Marchesseau, Les Lalannes, exh. cat., Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2010, p. 143 Catalogue Essay François-Xavier Lalanne frequented l'Académie Julian before being called for mandatory military service. Upon his return he established both his studio in Montparnasse and a friendship with the Romanian artist Constantin Brâncuși, whose influence led to Lalanne’s transition from painting to sculpture. Lalanne’s first solo exhibition of paintings was held at Galerie Cimaise in Paris in 1953, and it was here where Lalanne was introduced to Claude Dupeux, his future wife and lifelong collaborator. In 1964, the Lalannes had their first solo and revered exhibition. Lalanne was inspired by naturalistic animal forms, and his first flock of sheep titled Pour Polyphème were submitted to the Salon de la Jeune Peinture in 1966, revisiting the concept of Magritte’s The Treachery of Images. In reference to his exhibit Lalanne commented: “If you come with a snail as big as a thumb, nobody notices; you have to go with something immodest and slightly embarrassing”. Pour Polyphème was destined to constitute a precedent for the rest of the artist prolific career. From this moment onwards his work evoked the ‘shared spirit’ of the Surrealist philosophy (Daniel Abadie, Lalanne(s), Paris, 2008, p. 143) and became recognisable for its iconic absurdity. François-Xavier Lalanne wrote: “If there exists a planet where plants moved on feet, you might see grass run off at the approach of a cow. Unless on that particular planet, animals where rooted to the spot the way oysters are stuck to their rock. Suddenly the immobile would seize the mobile, turning plants into meat-eaters. Thus animal would be vegetable. Ultimately we just might be living on some other planet.” Read More