Unique to his magical menagerie are these three life-sized bronze hippos with moving parts that reveal a bathroom set like no other, comprising bathtub, working sink and vanity, toilet and bidet. The spectacular will be offered for the first time since it was commissioned in the nineties by the current owner. With an estimate of €2,5 million, the lot is set to be a highlight of Sotheby's upcoming Design Sale in Paris at the end of June.
The quirky but fascinating story:
In the early 70s, the collector – himself a grandson of the Swiss animal sculptor Edouard-Marcel Sandoz – had a chance encounter with Valérie Kling, daughter of Claude Lalanne, who was performing at Jérôme Savary's Le Grand Magic Circus. The pair soon became good friends and Kling introduced him to the whimsical world of Les Lalannes, populated by fantastic animals, first at Alexandre Iolas' gallery and then at their studio in Ury. For the collector, Ury sparked happy memories of a childhood spent in his grandfather's workshop, overrun with armadillos, donkeys, foxes and all sorts of birds.
Twenty years later, together with his wife, he told François-Xavier Lalanne of their desire to have one of the artist's works for the bathroom in their home. In love with the famous hippo bathtub, made of bright blue resin, which Lalanne had created for Marcel Duchamp and his wife Teeny, they asked not only for a bathtub, but also for a toilet and a bidet. The request was first met with hesitation, as Lalanne correctly explained that hippos are biologically incapable of conceiving twins. After some deliberation, they settled on the story that the second calf might just be a friend to the first.
The only remaining requirement the artist had was to place the mammals in the bath itself, arranging them to face the exceptional view of the surrounding mountains.
Thus, Lalanne created a family of hippos in copper, gilded metal and patinated bronze, while the mother was transformed into a bathtub – with the sink in its mouth – and two young hippos around it as a toilet and bidet.
Two of the most pioneering, important and beloved artists of the 20th century, Les Lalannes' work is held in the collections of major international museums including the Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, the Pompidou Centre, Paris and the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam. Loved and celebrated by many prominent artists, influencers and collectors, their works also appear in the most prestigious private collections around the world, namely those of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Peter Marino, Karl Lagerfeld, Guy and Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Gunter Sachs and Jacques Grange.
