Husband-and-wife design duo François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne began working together shortly after they met in Paris in 1953.  In the 1960s, they relocated to the French countryside in Ury, and by the 1970s they were exhibiting their work around the world.  Their irresistibly whimsical, surrealist sculptures reimagined the diverse flora and fauna that surrounded them, which they described as “the richest and most varied forms on the planet.”  Several early, influential collectors acquired important pieces by Les Lalanne, including Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Günter Sachs, Dodie Rosenkrans, Valentino Garavani, and Karl Lagerfeld.  In 1991, a retrospective of their work was shown at the Château de Chenonceau in France.  More recently, Les Lalanne were the subject of a major retrospective at the museum Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris and a large-scale public exhibition at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida.

Les Lalanne designed their first fountain sculptures for a public art installation in Santa Monica, California after winning an international arts competition in 1988.  Their project featured six monumental dinosaur topiary sculptures, displayed along the 3rd Street promenade.  The present sculpture is inspired by a dimetrodon—a pre-historic reptile that roamed the earth 295-272 million years ago.  Its most prominent feature was the large sail along its spine which, in the present work, creates a vibrant contrast between its crisp metallic surface and the lush vegetation that covers the rest of the creature’s body.  This contrast, as well as the overall presentation of the sculpture, can be manipulated based on the species, color, and styling of whatever plant is used, similar to Jeff Koons’ topiary 1992 Puppy at the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum.  The endless possibilities in this respect impart the piece with a dynamism and liveliness that is quintessential to the work of Lalanne.

Indeed, all elements of the design of Dimetrodon II were approached from the poetic, surrealist point of view for which Les Lalanne are known.  The incorporation of flora and fauna is a theme they explored in other works, such as Claude’s charming Choupatte and anthropomorphic Pomme Bouche sculptures.  Dimetrodon II is distinguished in this regard, however, by the fact that the flora employed in this work is living, growing, and ephemeral.  The sense of surrealism is further heightened by the imaginative additions of a horn on the dimetrodon’s forehead and fountain element spraying through its teeth.  The active nature of the sculpture—from its blossoming, plant-covered skin to its lively waterwork display and energetic pose—animate Dimetrodon II in a unique, exciting way.  It is at once fierce and playful, evoking the spirit of a dragon.