"On April 22, a set of Claude Lalanne's gilt-bronze mirrors commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé is expected to fetch between $10 and $15 million at auction at Sotheby's. Created by French sculptor between 1974 and 1985, the mirrors lined the walls of the couple's legendary Salon de Musique in their Paris apartment, each one framed by electroplated copper hosta leaves drawn from the artist's own garden."
"What began as a commission for two mirrors grew over the following decade into an ensemble of 15, transforming the room into one of the most remarkable decorative commissions of the 20th century. 'The mirrors are the masterpiece of Claude Lalanne,' say collectors Jean and Terry de Gunzburg, who acquired the set in 2009. 'Nothing compares to them.'"
"Claude Lalanne was born in Paris in 1924 and later attended the École des Beaux-Arts and the École des Arts Décoratifs. In the 1950s, she began collaborating with François-Xavier Lalanne—a fellow sculptor whom she would go on to marry. Together they were known as Les Lalannes and their work was shown and discussed as often collectively as individually."
Claude Lalanne, a prominent sculptor born in 1924, created nature-inspired works blending Surrealism and Art Nouveau. Her gilt-bronze mirrors, commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, are expected to sell for $10-$15 million at auction. Initially commissioned for two mirrors, the project expanded to 15, transforming a Paris salon. Lalanne's collaboration with her husband, François-Xavier, resulted in a unique body of work characterized by natural elements and innovative metalworking techniques, establishing them as significant figures in 20th-century decorative arts.
Read at Architectural Digest
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