François-Xavier Lalanne, Sirens, 2005, Etching

François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008) Sirens (women-headed birds in greek mythology), 2005 Techniques : aquatint and soft varnish on paper, hand signed in pencil by François Xavier Lalanne, in perfect condition Dimensions of the paper : 38 x 28 cm (14,96 x 11 inches) Dimensions of the print itself : 18 x 20,5 cm (7 x 8 inches) with his wife Claude, Francois Xavier Lalanne (1908-2008) is the most famous French sculptor of the second half of the twentieth century. His work is characterized by the animal imagery. He studied art at the Académie Julian in Paris. When he arrived in the city, he was introduced to many Surrealist and Modernist figures, such as Man Ray, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Constantin Brancusi. He is particularly known for his sheeps, fishes, birds... Supported by gallerists like Alexandre Iolas, Leo Castelli, Paul Kasmin and Ben Brown, his work was early collected by great connoisseurs, among whom Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Marino, Valentino,Terry de Gunzburg, Alberto Pinto, the Rothschilds, the Noailles, Jane Holzer, Michael Shvo, Georges Pompidou, Roman Abramovich, Jacques Grange...