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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.
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A romantic choker necklace with large butterflies both front and back.
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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.
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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.
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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.