François-Xavier Lalanne

Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, Ury

Thence by descent to the present owner

Laurence Pythoud, "Les Oiseaux d'argent de François-Xavier Lalanne", L'Oeil, Paris, May 1994, p. 62-63

With the Oiseau d'Argent series, conceived in the early 1990s, François-Xavier Lalanne gives life to domestic birds that are both sculptural and functional. Made from patinated aluminum sheet, the armchair, desk, coffee table, rocking chair and dining table take on the stylized form of a bird.

Each piece embodies the duality dear to the sculptor: the union of dream and use. Lightweight metal lends the pieces to an airy yet solid presence. The lines are soft, and the volumes suggest both comfort and movement. In this series, the bird becomes furniture, and the furniture becomes sculpture. Each piece invites reverie: the armchair becomes a perch, the pedestal table rises with its wings spread, the desk lights up like a bird watching overhead, and the dining table folds its wings.

This series, edited by Artcurial, met with limited success: only a few examples were made between 1990 and 2002 (less than 20 for the dining room table, around 15 for the illuminated desk, less than 30 for the pedestal table and less than 10 for the rocking chair).

Oiseau d'argent embodies the artist's unique vision: to make everyday life a little more wonderful, and to turn the object into a companion.