Claude Lalanne: Bijoux

Paul Kasmin Gallery is pleased to present Claude Lalanne: Bijoux, the artist’s inaugural jewelry exhibition in the United States, on view from October 28- December 23, 2016 at 297 Tenth Avenue.

The exhibition will be her largest to date, including unique works and editions, spanning 40 years of the artist’s oeuvre.

Made in her atelier in France, Lalanne’s jewelry is created patiently by hand. Surrounded by Les Lalanne sculpture and furniture, the artist draws inspiration from the natural world and her own vivid imagination. Coaxing flora and fauna into surreal and whimsical combinations, the artist explores and embraces varied textures, as well as organic forms around her.  

Through a mastery of renaissance life-casting and contemporary techniques, Lalanne transforms organic creations into wearable artworks of bronze, silver and gold.  Collier Groseilles (2016), one of the highlights of the exhibition, features polished bronze leaves, twigs, and Groseilles, or gooseberries, wrapped around a center collar.  Each part retains its natural qualities exemplifying the unparalleled delicacy and virtuosity of Lalanne’s trademark craftsmanship.

Lalanne’s seminal partnerships with iconic French fashion houses include collaborations with Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. Saint Laurent commissioned Lalanne for his A/W 1969 Haute Couture collection, in addition to a series of zoomorphic sculptures for the French designer’s Paris apartment. Collectors of her work include fashion designers Valentino and Gianni Agnelli.

The exhibition will present over thirty pieces of jewelry, including unique works and editions, spanning 40 years of the artist’s oeuvre.

Made in her atelier in France, Lalanne’s jewelry is created patiently by hand. Surrounded by Les Lalanne sculpture and furniture, the artist draws inspiration from the natural world and her own vivid imagination. Coaxing flora and fauna into surreal and whimsical combinations, the artist explores and embraces varied textures, as well as organic forms around her.  

Through a mastery of renaissance life-casting and contemporary techniques, Lalanne transforms organic creations into wearable artworks of bronze, silver and gold.  Collier Groseilles (2016), one of the highlights of the exhibition, features polished bronze leaves, twigs, and Groseilles, or gooseberries, wrapped around a center collar.  Each part retains its natural qualities exemplifying the unparalleled delicacy and virtuosity of Lalanne’s trademark craftsmanship.

Lalanne’s seminal partnerships with iconic French fashion houses include collaborations with Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. Saint Laurent commissioned Lalanne for his A/W 1969 Haute Couture collection, in addition to a series of zoomorphic sculptures for the French designer’s Paris apartment. Collectors of her work include fashion designers Valentino and Gianni Agnelli.

Claude Lalanne (b. 1924 in Paris) studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts before meeting her husband and collaborator François-Xavier Lalanne (b. 1927 in Agen, died 2008 in Ury, France). Known collectively and separately since the 1960s as Les Lalanne, Claude and François developed artistic careers and their idiosyncratic aesthetics in tandem. Most recently Les Lalanne were the subject of a major retrospective at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, curated by the architect Peter Marino, as well as a public exhibition held at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gabels, Florida. Their work was shown on Park Avenue as part of New York City Parks Public Art Program and in the sale of the collection of Yves Saint Laurent. Les Lalanne’s work is part of major collections internationally, including the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, the Museé Nationale d’Art Moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, the Museé d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, the City of Paris, and the City of Santa Monica.