Installation view "Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams" 2022. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.
Installation view "Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams" 2022. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Few designers inspire the fervor that the late French husband-and-wife designers Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne continually do with their idyllic animal-inspired designs and whimsical jewels. 

Now, lovers of Les Lalanne are in for a treat. London’s Ben Brown Fine Arts has recently opened “Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams,” an extensive survey of more than 100 works by the artists. The exhibition, installed by famed Italian designer Manfredi della Gherardesca, encompasses both Ben Brown and the newly opened Claridge’s ArtSpace, also in Mayfair. Across these two locations, viewers can experience a veritable Lalanne menagerie, from their iconic Mouton statues to monkey tables and a whole zoo of creatures in between. 

Della Gherardesca’s dreamlike installation across two spaces conjures both the heavenly and the bucolic, balancing Les Lalanne’s earthly animals with cloud-like installations. For collectors, the exhibition offers some rare opportunities. The exhibition’s highlights include Lit Hibou et 2 Tables de Chevet, a bespoke bed and two side tables commissioned for a collector by Claude Lalanne, which have never been seen, as well as François-Xavier’s ingeniously functional and exceptionally rare Hippopotame I, a life-size hippopotamus in blue resin that opens up to reveal a full bath suite. Also offered is François-Xavier’s Sauterelle Bar, of which only two examples exist (the other version is part of the Royal Collection, donated by the French president in 1972).

Jewelry lovers will be pleased to find that a selection of Lalanne jewelry from the Louisa Guinness Gallery is being offered at both venues during the exhibition. Ben Brown Fine Arts has exhibited the work of Les Lalanne for nearly two decades, yet this will mark its first show at the gallery following Claude’s death three years ago; the exhibition is a testament to the enduring appeal of their designs. 

See images from “Les Lalannes: Makers of Dreams” below.

Installation view “Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams” 2022. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Installation view “Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams” 2022. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Installation view “Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams” 2022. Courtesy of Ben Brown Fine Arts.

“Les Lalanne: Makers of Dreams” is on view at Ben Brown Fine Arts, London, through July 29, 2022.