Animals – High End Weekly™

The Whimsical World of François-Xavier & Claude Lalanne

Lalannes and friend at their Parisian home

from the archieves of LIFE magazine

Animal Kingdom

My recent gallery tour at Sotheby’s reminded me of how wonderful Lalanne’s works truly is when I saw several of his most iconic pieces on display. The dynamic french duo have won the slow and steady race of producing what some called “the supreme art of living” with their beloved works of art. From monkey shaped fireplaces, rhino-shaped desks to a flock of sheep, Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne have created a whimsical world where we can engage with art and design – in a joyful and meaningful way.

François-Xavier Lalanne, “Mountons De Laine”, 1967, wool, patinated aluminum,

electro-formed copper and wood

Photo courtesy High End Weekly™

Gingko Bench, Claude Lalanne, 1999. Aluminum,

From Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 Sale

Photo courtesy High End Weekly™

Claude Lalanne, chairs and table fom Lila Acheson Wallace Garden, Dewitt Wallace Deocrative Arts Museum. Part of Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 Sale

Photo courtesy High End Weekly™

Cocodoll, 1964, François-Xavier Lalanne

via Meyokoillustrations

Lalanne Park Avenue Exhibition in NYC

François-Xavier Lalanne, Les Autruches, 1966

François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery

Oiseau à Bascule, François Xavier Lalanne, 1974

Image via Wallpaper

Required Reading: Claude & Francois Xavier Lalanne from Rizzoli

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Ahae’s Stunning Photographs at The Louvre

The Natural

The Ahae experience continues. Following the opening of the Ahae De Ma Fenêtre at the Louvre Pavilion at the Jardin des Tuileries in June, a memorable concert was held on July 4th.

Hello World: Grey Heron (2010) / © Ahae Press

A review followed: Under clearing skies on a warm July 4th evening in Paris’s Tuileries Garden, the famed Orchestra Lamoureux played a concert of French classics and new compositions while two enormous screens showed images by Ahae, the Korean-born photographer whose exhibition De ma fenêtre (From My Window) is currently on view in the Louvre’s garden. Pieces by Debussy, Saint-Saens and Offenbach were played on a stage specially built for the concert. Ilan Eshkeri’s De ma fenêtre was given its world premiere to generous applause.

Mother Nature: Spectacular entrance to Ahae’s Show at Musée Du Louvre,

Jardin Des Tuileries Bespoke Exhibition Pavilion in Paris

From My Window is an exceptional show of photographs taken from the vantage of just one window in Ahae’s house. The landscape, photographed throughout the year, reveals the subtle changes of the seasons as well as a great sensibility to life in all its forms. Painstakingly photographed and printed, the show is already a popular success. Revealing a tranquil sensibility in the midst of the chaos of nature, it features some of the largest reproductions ever mounted.

Flock of Magpies (2009)

Azure-winged Magpies (2010)

Sold in the Ahae Pavilion bookstore is the new Assouline collectors title, AHAE: Through My Window. Scenes pastoral and comic, dramatic and tragic, dynamic and serene, enchanting and breathtakingly beautiful are revealed through his lens. With introductions by the director of the Louvre, the former director of Prague’s National Gallery, and the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Moscow, and featuring poetic texts by the photographer, this beautiful hardcover volume of inspiring imagery is presented in a luxury slipcase (available August 14th, $200, through Assouline). The exhibits ends on Sunday, August 19th, 2012.

Captivated: Museum goers marvel at the wonders and simplicity of nature

Water Deer (2009)

Contributing Story by Joan Parker

John James Audubon

Splendid Birds

Birdwatching is my favorite outdoor hobby. There’s something exhilarating about observing these feathered friends hop, skip, and fly to the sky. They always seem so engrossed in the moment, even when they’re motionless. I cannot look at a good looking bird without thinking of John James Audubon.

American White Pelican
Male Adult

“I felt an intimacy with them…bordering on frenzy [that] must accompany my steps through life.” JJA

His ornithological body of works always brings a smile to my face, and a little bit of joy into my life. My latest book purchase is The Birds of America. Eventhough the completed body of work was sold last December at an auction for $11.5 million, you can purchase the abbreviated version at your local book store. His original body of work consisted of 435 life-size, hand-colored prints that were published over the course of thirteen years.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Audubon’s splendid birds, and the fact that we have one major thing in common. He was born in Haiti, my motherland. John James Audubon was born at his father’s sugar plantation in Saint-Domingue, while I was born in Port-au-Prince. His father was a French navel officer, and his mother, Jeanne Rabine, was from Les Touches, France. John’s father eventually moved away from the island to his native France. As a young adult, Audubon came to live in the United States, and it was there he began his ornithological career. His father would note that John always had an affinity for birds. According to Jean Audubon, his son “would point out the elegant movement of the birds, and the beauty and softness of their plumage. He called my attention to their show of pleasure or sense of danger, their perfect forms and splendid attire.” How marvelous! I would have loved to meet him.

From left: Rock Grous. 1: Male in winter. 2: Female Summer Plumage 3: Young in August
Right: Pied oyster-catcher

Louisiana Heron
Male adult

Trumpeter Swan

Adult

Wild turkey

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