French artists Claude Lalanne and her husband Francois-Xavier Lalanne are best known for their large metal sculptures. He preferred to sculpt animals, while she used botanical references in her work. Yves St. Laurent was a great admirer of their work and had several pieces in his private collection. Claude Lalanne designed jewelry and belts for Yves St. Laurent as early as 1971, but I especially like these pieces that she made in the spring of 1976.Above, a fantastical copper headpiece consisting of branches and flowers with a large butterfly at the front.
A romantic choker necklace with large butterflies both front and back.
And here, a small image of the gorgeous cuff bracelets, which look like ginko leaves that curve around the arm. Click on the photo for a larger view.
Lalanne also designed furniture. Above, one of the bronze chairs that was commissioned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for the courtyard of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
This is a view from above of a 1996 bronze ginko leaf patio table that came with 6 chairs. The set sold at auction in 2008 for $314,500.
If you're lucky enough to be in Florida, you can see many of the outdoor sculptures of the Lalannes at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden this year.
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