A Rare Chance to Acquire a Coveted Work from Surrealist French Duo Les Lalanne

Imagine a living room invaded by a flock of sheep, a life-size rhinoceros that doubles as a desk, or a giant cabbage that has sprouted chicken legs. In the surrealist world of artists François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, anything was possible. The best-known works of the French husband-and-wife duo, known collectively as Les Lalanne, were produced during the late ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, but their careers were long and successful — Les Lalanne became darlings of the fashion world, with commissions for Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs and John Galliano.

A rare 1984 figurative sculpture by Claude Lalanne, Petit Fille à la Poule (Little Hen Girl), is being offered at Heritage Auctions next Tuesday, October 13, as part of its Design Auction. The sculpture was acquired from Les Lalanne during the consignors’ visit to their studio outside Paris, says Heritage design director Brent Lewis, and could fetch $150,000 at auction. Some 250 lots will be auctioned, including 100 pieces from a private collection of Comme des Garçons, designed by Rei Kawakubo or her protégé Junya Watanabe; a survey of Kawakubo’s work was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017.

Another highlight is a pair of urns by Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti, who joined ceramics maker Richard Ginori in the 1920s. Under this collaboration, Ginori was awarded two grand prizes at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, 1925. The urns are estimated to sell for $8,000 to $12,000.

Heritage Auctions’ Design Auction, Tuesday, October 13, ha.com/8018.