bronze and epoxy stone, 2002,, ed. 144 / 250, signed, dated, and numbered, and with mark of Fonderie Blanchet-Landowski, Bagnolet, France, 35 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 40 1/4 in. 

Literature: Daniel Marchessau, The Lalannes, Paris, 1998, p. 37; Daniel Abadie, Lalanne(s), Paris, 2008, p. 188; Adrian Dannatt, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne: In the Domain of Dreams, New York, 2018, pp. 66, 84, 181, 192-93, 210, 254-55; Galerie Mitterand, Les Lalanne à Trianon, exh. cat., Versailles, 2021, front cover, pp. 17, 84, 86-88, 91-92, 96-97, 135

Scattered handling marks and areas of slight discoloration to stone. Minor scratches to bronze  on the heel of the right rear leg and the top of the head. Minor wear to patina on feet. No apparent repairs or restorations.

An Important Estate, Los Angeles

François-Xavier Lalanne’s Brebis, from the celebrated Nouveaux Moutons series, stands among the most iconic expressions of late 20th-century French sculptural design. Conceived as part of the Lalannes’ lifelong meditation on the poetic integration of art and life, these works transform a pastoral archetype into an object of extraordinary refinement and presence. Cast in bronze and finished in epoxy stone, the Nouveaux Moutons elevate the humble sheep into a timeless, tactile monument—at once bucolic and rigorously modern.

Unlike the earlier wool-clad examples, the bronze and epoxy stone editions possess a heightened sculptural permanence. The materiality underscores Lalanne’s mastery of surface and silhouette: the dense, mineral texture of the body contrasts subtly with the patinated bronze extremities, creating a work that reads equally as fine art and as functional object. This interplay between utility and sculpture—between wit and gravitas—is the essence of Lalanne’s achievement.

The Brebis has become a definitive emblem of blue-chip design collecting. Instantly recognizable yet endlessly sophisticated, it embodies the rare alchemy that defines truly important works: conceptual clarity, impeccable craftsmanship, and enduring cultural resonance. As part of the Nouveaux Moutons series, this example represents the mature refinement of Lalanne’s most celebrated motif—an icon of postwar French creativity and one of the most sought-after sculptural forms in the international market.