FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE | GRAND MOUTON DE PETER

JGM Galerie, Paris

Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2009

Reed Krakoff, Ben Brown and Paul Kasmin, Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne, exh. cat., Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York and Ben Brown Fine Arts, London, 2006, p. 62 

Paul Kasmin, Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne, Art, Work, Life, New York, 2012, n.p. (for related sheep models in bronze)

Brad Goldfarb, Peter Marino: Art Architecture, New York, 2016, p. 53 (for the models photographed in situ in the garden of Peter Marino)

Delphine and Reed Krakoff, Houses That We Dreamt Of: The Interiors of Delphine and Reed Krakoff, New York, 2017, pp. 51, 142-143, 145 and 147

Peter Marino, The Garden of Peter Marino, New York, 2017, n. p. (for the models photographed in situ in the garden of Peter Marino)

The concept behind the present Grand Mouton de Peter, a spectacular and recent iteration of a career-defining leitmotif for François-Xavier Lalanne, can be traced back to the sculptor’s friendship with Peter Marino. The American designer and architect had been a passionate collector of Lalanne’s work for many years prior to their collaboration in the creation of a new sheep series in 2004, which the sculptor eventually named after him. The series was conceived as a herd, each edition being comprised of three different forms: one ewe, one ram facing left, and one ram facing forward—the present model. 

The Grands Moutons de Peter (“Peter’s Grand Sheep”), as they were called, were not only named for Marino, they are the product of his creative influence. When François-Xavier asked him, “What could I make for you that is truly special?”, he responded that since childhood he had always been fascinated with the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology. He had a clear picture in his mind of a full flock of sheep with shimmering bodies mirroring the golden-woolled fleece of the mythological creatures that filled his imagination. Lalanne was delighted with the idea and said he would make them, executed entirely in gilt bronze, and that they would be named for Marino. The project, initiated in 2004, took several years for Lalanne to complete, and the eighth edition was not executed until 2007.

The present offering of a ram from the series displays the expressive and dynamic features characteristic of the group, and represents the culmination of decades of continuous exploration and refinement of what is arguably Lalanne’s most iconic form. A complete flock of Grands Moutons, including an iteration of the present model, debuted at Sotheby’s in 2019 and sold for a record price. This single Grands Mouton de Peter thus provides a rare opportunity for collectors and Francois Xavier Lalanne connoisseurs to acquire a work from this rare and esteemed series.