FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE | "Grand Oiseau de Marbre"

Lalanne Family Collection
Carl Schlosberg Gallery, Los Angeles
Acquired from the above by present owner

John Russell, Les Lalanne, Paris, 1975, p. 62
Les Lalanne, exh. cat., Christian Fayt Art Gallery, Paris, 1984, pl. 16
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. 110
Les Lalanne, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2010, pp. 68-69 and 76
Paul Kasmin, Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne, New York, 2012, n.p.
Adrien Dannatt, Les Lalanne, Fifty Years of Work, exh. cat., Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, 2015, p. 68
Adrian Dannatt, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne: In the Domain of Dreams, New York, 2018, pp. 162-163

Overall in very good condition. The marble presents with some very light surface soiling throughout, consistent with age and gentle use. The work has been professionally restored to stabilize a few hairline fractures to the neck, beak, and wings, in keeping with the original design of the piece. When viewed in person, the marble presents with a delicate shimmering surface and some natural color variation which enhance the elegance of the overall form. The marble beak pivots slightly on its base. The iron surfaces of the legs with light scratches and occasional minor loss to the black paint concentrated to feet, not visually distracting and consistent with age and use. The proper right wing presents with a missing bolt to the iron structure, not detrimental to the structure and functionality of the piece. The uniqueness of the model contributes to its significance within François-Xavier's career, just a year prior to his first museum retrospective with his wife and co-creator, Claude, in which a Grand Oiseau de Marbre was exhibited.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

With its open wings and stoic elegance, this Grand Oiseau de Marbre (or “Marble Bird”) embodies the essence of the Lalanne style. The chair represents François-Xavier Lalanne’s new take on a familiar member of his bestiary, first introduced in 1970 through a monumental bird sculpture commissioned for the garden of a private French estate. This functional Oiseau, however, is discernibly Greek in essence. Created during the summer of 1974 at the Greek residence of the Lalannes’ art dealer, Alexandre Iolas, the chairs in this series were made using white marble from Crete and produced in the studio of Greek architect Manolis Karantinos in Athens. Only three sets of five chairs are known to exist out of the intended twelve, including one set of five commissioned for the Yves Saint Laurent residence in Paris. The rarity of the model contributes to its significance within François-Xavier’s career, just a year prior to his first museum retrospective with his wife and co-creator, Claude, at the Centre National d’Art Contemporain in Paris where a Grand Oiseau de Marbre was exhibited.