{"id":1605136,"date":"2025-12-11T11:10:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/observer.com\/?p=1605136"},"modified":"2025-12-11T11:25:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:25:50","slug":"francois-xavier-lalanne-hippopotame-bar-new-artist-auction-record-sothebys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/observer.com\/2025\/12\/francois-xavier-lalanne-hippopotame-bar-new-artist-auction-record-sothebys\/","title":{"rendered":"Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne\u2019s \u2018Hippopotame Bar\u2019 Sets a New Auction Record for the Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Francois Xavier Lalanne, Hippopotame Bar, piece unique<\/em>. Courtesy Sotheby's<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne\u2019s Hippopotame Bar<\/i>, pi\u00e8ce unique<\/i> delivered a historic result at Sotheby\u2019s Important Design, Featuring Works from the Schlumberger Collection<\/a> sale yesterday (Dec. 10), where it sold for $31.4 million over a high estimate of $10 million. The work\u2014commissioned in 1976 by Anne Schlumberger, one of Lalanne\u2019s early patrons\u2014inspired a lively 26-minute bidding battle among seven collectors, underscoring the significant demand for works of this scale and rarity. Notably, the sale established the highest price ever achieved for the artist at auction and the highest price ever realized for a work of design, confirming both the artist\u2019s singular place in the market and the surging global market for functional art<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The piece, which showcases Lalanne\u2019s signature blend of whimsy and technical mastery, marks a pivotal moment in his long fascination with the hippopotamus form. Crafted from hand-wrought copper, maillechort, stainless steel, brass and painted wood, it is the only version of the bar executed in copper. Hidden compartments\u2014including a revolving bottle rack, ice bucket, hors-d\u2019oeuvre tray and glassware storage\u2014reveal Lalanne\u2019s skill in engineering objects that are as practical as they are imaginative. The winning bidder also receives two original design drawings from Anne Schlumberger\u2019s collection that trace the artist\u2019s process from concept to sculpture.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the design and decorative arts category has offered a rare bright spot in a cooling global auction market, growing 20.4 percent year-over-year to $172 million in the first half of the year, according to ArtTactic. This surge stands in sharp contrast to declines in other major categories: postwar and contemporary art fell 19.3 percent, impressionist and modern dropped 7.7 percent and luxury remained flat (down just 0.5 percent).<\/p>\n

Sales from the \u00a373 million Pauline Karpidas collection in London<\/a>\u2014with works from Les Lalannes totaling nearly $18.5 million and several achieving up to 15 times their estimates\u2014demonstrated the growing international interest not only in design but also in Lalanne pieces more specifically. This latest result reshuffles the ranking of Lalanne\u2019s top-selling works at auction. In June 2025, Grand Rhinocr\u00e9taire II<\/i> brought in $16.4 million in New York\u2014more than tripling its $5 million high estimate\u2014then the second-highest result for the artist and now the third. Just weeks earlier, Bar aux Autruches<\/i> fetched \u20ac11.1 million ($12 million) in Paris, setting a new bar record.<\/p>\n

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