François-Xavier et Claude Lalanne — Galerie Mitterrand — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: May 13 → June 18, 2011

The JGM. Galerie is pleased to announce a new exhibition of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. Until this day, the pieces selected have never been shown in any gallery.

Even though the personal work from the one differs from the other, the Lalanne have never exhibited separately since their first exhibition in 1962 at Jeanine Restany, and later at Alexandre Iolas. Their works are delicately combined to honor nature and beauty which was perfectly illustrated by the exhibition dedicated to the Lalanne at the Musée des Arts décoratifs last year(curator Peter Marino).

In his publication about the Lalanne (Edition Flammarion), Daniel Abadie writes that “the work of Claude Lalanne, like that of François –Xavier Lalanne, clearly possesses its specific identity behind the shared signature. There is no possible confusion between their highly different approaches to sculpture — Claude casts and assembles, while François-Wavier draws and constructs — or between their individual worlds — organic and baroque for her, classical and architectural for him. And yet in the eyes of the general public, their unified signature has long made their works inseparable, as though cast form a single mold.”

With the huge success at the Yves Saint Laurent — Pierre Bergé auction, the world discovered the importance the Lalannes had in their lives and in their very distinguished collection. That way, Lalanne’s name is definitely associated with the greatest modern artists.

The JGM. Galerie shows some of Claude Lalanne’s recent sculptures which joyously express her creative vitality, when judged on the Lapin de Victoire or the Hortensia bench. A new table Williamsburg (furniture first created in the 80s for the Williamsburg museum) will also be presented to the public for the first time. François-Xavier Lalanne’s work will be represented by a selection of monkeys such as the Singe aux Nénuphars and the Singe Alternatif as well as the exceptional La Sauterelle de 1970, white Sevres biscuit, steel and polished brass. Only two exemplaries existe whereas one of them belongs to the Duke of Edimbourg collection.