Centaure by Les Lalanne
Centaure is a surrealistic bronze sculpture of a centaur created by François Xavier and Claude Lalanne in 1985. It stands in the gardens of the Théatre du Centaur in Luxembourg City, Luxemburg.
Les Lalanne, as they became known collectively, were one of the most dynamic French art couples of the 20th century. Courted by Surrealists and celebrities alike, their distinctive blend of fine and decorative arts, which was based on naturalistic forms, has made their work highly prized by contemporary collectors.
It is known that they rarely collaborated together on individual pieces, instead they “co-created” While François-Xavier favored sculpting animal themes and Lalanne working with plants and the human form.
Centaure presented the perfect opportunity for a partnership; Lalanne even quipped that her husband built the bottom and she supplied the top.
When Claude Lalanne passed away in April 2019 at the age of 93, French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, released a statement of condolences, speaking of how the couple kneaded together ‘imagination, humour and poetry’ to create works that ‘re-enchant the familiar and the functional’.
Les Lalanne are represented by the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York City and Ben Brown Fine Arts in London and their major works can be found in Paris, Luxemburg, across Europe and in America where they have pieces in Santa Monica, Park Avenue and Manhattan’s Chelsea district
