Offering a wide range of the couple’s most iconic and sought-after works chosen by Kasmin, a long-time gallerist of the duo, and Shvo, an avid collector of the works, the gallery space will be transformed into a midnight garden and thereby evoke the surrealist sculptors’ magical world in which their life and art were intertwined since the 1960’s.

Highlights of the selling exhibition include François-Xavier’s iconic sheep, Moutons de Laine (Troupeau de 3), and monumental bronze bear, La Grande Ourse, and Claude’s regal rabbit, Nouveau Lapin de Victoire. Also on view are works that have never been exhibited before including Mouflon de Ram Island (grand) and Vache Bien Etablie II, both by François-Xavier. Interest in and appreciation of the artists’ work is at an all-time high following a series of museum and gallery shows—notably, a 2010 retrospective at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris—making this an ideal time to celebrate and introduce their work to a broader global audience.

photo paulkasmingallery.com

photo paulkasmingallery.com

Sotheby’s S|2 selling exhibition follows Kasmin and Shvo’s groundbreaking public art exhibition, Sheep Station, at the former Getty filling station in West Chelsea. The pair placed 25 sheep sculptures by François- Xavier Lalanne, along the suddenly-grassy surface of a former gas station at the corner of 24th Street and 10th Avenue, a site now owned by Shvo and slated to become luxury residences. Sheep Station is open to the public through 20 October, just before the S|2 exhibition opens, affording both new and seasoned Lalanne enthusiasts the opportunity to join in the appreciation of this celebrated duo’s work throughout the autumn season.

photo paulkasmingallery.com

photo paulkasmingallery.com

François-Xavier Lalanne
François-Xavier had a fondness for creating oversized animals, which often bear secret compartments or double as pieces of furniture. One of his most famous early creations, the Rhinocrétaire, is a life-sized rhinoceros with a built-in writing desk that dates back to 1964.

photo paulkasmingallery.com

He first created his iconic moutons in 1965, which later came to symbolize his ongoing mission to demystify art and capture its joie de vivre. His sheep sculptures are meant to be sat on and effortlessly occupy a garden as easily as they do a gallery. Several of Lalanne’s sheep will be included in the S|2 selling exhibition, including Moutons de Laine (Troupeau de 3) (left), which were executed in 1974 and are made of wool, bronze and wood on wheels.

photo paulkasmingallery.com

Claude Lalanne
Claude Lalanne is noted for her preference for flora over fauna—one of her most famous works is L’Homme à Tête de Chou (a man with the head of a cabbage), which graced Serge Gainsbourg’s 1976 album of the same title. While Claude has tackled the intricacies of tableware and jewelry, lapins, or rabbits, are a recurring theme in Claude’s work. The bronze Nouveau Lapin de Victoire is the most monumental in scale Claude executed, standing at over seven feet tall (top of page 1). With a cabbage collar adorning its neck, the lapin stands upright with his cane and is cast entirely out of bronze.

photo paulkasmingallery.com

photo paulkasmingallery.com

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