“Lalanne can certainly go backward and be presented against historical and revival styles, and also go forward and go with contemporary art,” said Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s co-worldwide head of 20th-century design, when she spoke with AD PRO about the auction results. “They’re pure sculpture, they’re magical, they’re great fun, and they can go alongside just about anything.”
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Claude Lalanne with François-Xavier’s Rhinoceros desk in 2015.
Photo: Luc Castel/Getty Images
When Claude passed away in April 2019 at the age of 94, French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, released a statement of condolence that acknowledged how Claude and François-Xavier, who died in 2008, blended “imagination, humor and poetry” to create works of art that “re-enchanted the familiar and the functional.”
François-Xavier commanded fresh attention again in 2025, when his Hippopotame Bar realized $31.4 million at Sotheby’s, establishing a new world auction record for the artist and the most valuable design object ever sold at auction.
Posthumously, Claude’s work has also grown in relevance, continuing to ascend the ranks of art and design history on the strength of international exhibitions and record auction results. “Everything is very playful and whimsical yet serves a purpose—and it’s made to be used,” Edith Dicconson, organizer of a 2019 exhibit of Claude’s work at the Kasmin Gallery, told AD PRO. “Everything is made very, very well, and has stood the test of time.”