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Les Lalanne was an artist couple that created works together from 1952 until the death of one of the pair in 2008. The pair consisted of Claude Lalanne (1925-2019) and François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008). Previously at the Schneider, Claude Lalanne’s work Pomme de New York was on view, a huge golden apple sculpture that stood in the Schneider Museum courtyard in the summer of 2024. Claude Lalanne fell in love with art early in life because of her parents, her musically-inclined mother and her metalworker father. She would later go on to study fine art at multiple renowned French arts schools, including the École des Beaux-Arts and the Atelier de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. François-Xavier studied art at the Académie Julian, another acclaimed art institute. Though Les Lalanne made collaborative work, as individuals, they had their own slight style differences. Namely, François-Xavier was more focused on animal forms, while Claude primarily focused on flora and fauna.
Currently, François-Xavier Lalanne’s Grenouille Fontaine is on view in the Entry Gallery. The title translates directly to Frog Fountain, an apt description of this adorable metal amphibian. Lalanne evidently had a lot of respect for the animal kingdom, as he elevated them to sculptural form often throughout his artistic career. His animals of choice included frogs, sheep, rhinoceroses, bears, and even grasshoppers, though the types of animals he sculpted extended far beyond that. By using animal anatomy to create fine art, Lalanne shows a reverence for our multi-legged animal friends. For example, Grenouille Fontaine depicts a frog, an amphibious creature whose life revolves around water. Here, the frog form is used to represent life, rebirth, and patience as la grenouille waits for the next time it will see water. Unfortunately, he is unable to demonstrate his full fountain abilities here at the Schneider while on view in our galleries. Check out the photo below to see a version of this sculpture from 2003 spraying water! And visit the Schneider to see François-Xavier Lalanne's Grenouille Fontaine.
Read some fun facts about creative power couple Les Lalanne at the link below:
https://www.christies.com/en/stories/10-things-to-know-about-francois-xavier-and-claude-lalanne-74ebc205a4124594adac06e1017124fe
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