Choupatte, 2014/2017, is one of legendary artist Claude
Lalanne's most iconic and recognizable works, fully encapsulating her
fascination with nature, playful sense of humour, and unique practices
in the medium of sculpture. Claude explained the genesis of this
hybrid, whimsically surrealist work: "I had taken a mould of a cabbage
and just wondered what it would look like with legs - the moment I saw
it, it felt right. It had emotion." Her husband and artistic partner,
François-Xavier Lalanne, illuminated: "The cabbage leaf is to Claude
what the acanthus leaf was to Greek art!"

Claude
Lalanne studied architecture in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and
the École des Arts Décoratifs. After marrying François-Xavier in the
1960s, the two began to work closely alongside each other and exhibit as
'Les Lalanne', receiving early commissions from luminaries such as Yves
Saint Laurent. The Lalannes' work is represented in many prominent
collections around the world, including the National Design Museum, New
York; Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York; Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne,
Paris; Musée d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; and the Centre Pompidou,
Paris.