Les Lalanne at Fairchild
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden presented the U.S.’s largest outdoor exhibition of works by French sculptors Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne as part of its renowned, annual visual art program. Les Lalanne at Fairchild featured more than 30 sculptures, including works never before publicly exhibited in the U.S., such as Claude Lalanne’s Dimetrodon II (1998), a unique copper and steel topiary shaped in the form of a dinosaur from the Permian period, displaying a large Marlin-like fin and spouting water through shark-like teeth; and François-Xavier’s Canard sur L’Eau; Genie de Bellerive Grand Noir (2007), a young owl with its wings spread in tribute to artist Max Ernst, and hovering upon a tall, abstract pedestal in homage to Constantin Brancusi, a close friend of the Lalannes; Grand Ours, a monumental bronze bear drawn into an upright stance; and Vache Paysage (2006), a bronze cow with its center doubling as a window through which to view the lush setting of the Garden.
The artists, the late François-Xavier Lalanne and his wife, Claude, created their works of art together for over 40 years. Together, the Lalannes leapt into the world of fine art, producing a number of surrealist works, and eventually drawing the attention of major buyers in the art world, including Yves Saint Laurent, who was known to keep several of the Lalannes’ pieces in his home. Drawing Surrealist imagery from flora and fauna, the Lalanne’s sculptures will create an extraordinary element of surprise and wonder set within Fairchild’s botanic paradise of rare palms, cycads, and flowering plants. Now, the South Florida community, as well as Fairchild visitors from near and far, will be able to experience the Lalannes’ works of art firsthand.
