





Claude Lalanne French, 1925-2019
Depth: 53.5 in.
Height: 58.2 in
Further images
This bed constitutes the very first example of an adult size bed Claude Lalanne has made. In the mid-90’s, Claude Lalanne made her first adult size bed as a special commission for the luxurious winter garden of her friend and long-time patron, Madame X. This piece is a reinterpretation of a child’s model called Rêve de Chloé, created in 1987. The first out of a series of four adult beds, ours is the only one with a fully decorated headboard and footboard.
The surrealist and whimsical nature of this work make it a quintessential Claude Lalanne piece. Incorporation of cabbage leaves references Claude’s charming Choupatte pieces while the Phoenix theme ties this work to ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology, a major source of inspiration for the couple. Rich flora and fauna which surrounded the artists in their Ury home, as well as the lush winter garden of Madame X, provided the perfect frame for Art Nouveau influenced the delicate interpretation of the fantastic natural world. Fine craftsmanship and hand-made details of the Phoenix aux Chou daybed place it somewhere between an exquisite piece of jewelry and a practical sculpture - a true Claude Lalanne masterpiece.
Provenance
Formerly in the collection of Madame X
(a close personal friend of Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne.)
This work has been especially designed for the previous owners’ winter garden in Fontainebleau.
Publications
Child size variation of this bed appears in:
Robert Rosenblum, Les Lalanne, Ed. Skira 1991, p. 85
(Published for the Lalanne retrospective in Chateau de Chenonceau, June 7th – November 3rd 1991.)
Daniel Marchesseau, The Lalanne, Ed. Flammarion 1998, p. 120-121.
Daniel Abadie, Lalanne(s), Ed. Flammarion 2008, p. 274.