Les Lalannes Whimsical Works Take Over a Historic Venice Palazzo

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What You Need to Know: Curated by Jérôme Neutres, former director at the Réunion de Musées Nationaux-Grand Palais and former president of Musée du Luxembourg, and featuring more than 150 works, “Planète Lalanne” offers a sweeping survey of the renowned Les Lalanne duo comprised of François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne. Presented at Palazzo Rota Ivancich in Venice by Ben Brown Fine Arts, the exhibition is the largest to date of its kind on the artists within Italy. On view through November 3, 2024, Neutres commented, “Presented in the splendid and mysterious Venetian Palazzo Rota Ivancich, ‘Planète Lalanne’ allows us to (re)discover a selection of the masterpieces of the artists who are as legendary as they are unclassifiable. This exhibition offers the opportunity to experience living with these poetically designed art objects.”

About the Artist: French sculptors and designers François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008) and Claude Lalanne (1924–2019) are internationally recognized as one of the most influential art couples of the 20th century. François-Xavier frequently employed animal and mythical creature imagery into his work, creating furniture like tables shaped as gazelles or elephants. Claude too drew inspiration from nature, and tapped the realms of flora and fauna in her work, recalling the aesthetics of Art Nouveau and Surrealism. The duo began working together in the early 1950s, becoming recognized as “Les Lalanne” starting in the 1960s, and quickly garnering widespread critical acclaim. Their signature works continue to be highly sought after, and their work can be found in prestigious public collections worldwide, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York.

Why We Like It: The diverse range of sculptures, furnishings, and “objets d’art” by Les Lalanne installed throughout the palazzo transform the venue into an immersive, surreal fantasy, and emphasizes the dual artistic and functional—and whimsical—nature of the artists’ oeuvre. Including iconic pieces such as a flock of life-size sheep sculptures, a hippopotamus bar station in vibrant blue, and a dining set fashioned from larger-than-life gingko biloba leaves, “Planète Lalanne” comprehensively brings to life the world and creative vision of the artist duo. The architecture and interior design of the palazzo further operates as an exceptional backdrop and complement to the presentation of Les Lalanne works, tapping into the milieu of a time past and, in effect, highlighting the timelessness of the works on view.

See inside the exhibition below.

Installation view of “Planète Lalanne” (2024) at Palazzo Rota Ivancich, Venice. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.