This Week in La Gazette Drouot : François-Xavier Lalanne’s Little Bear, a solemn yet sensitive bronze sculpture

Everyone knows François Pompon’s bear, but probably not as many are familiar with François-Xavier Lalanne’s. The *Petit ours*, standing 50 cm tall,was created c. 1984–1985 —more than twentyyears beforethe *Très grand ours*, which stands three meters tall.

This was an intense period for the artist, who exhibited with his wife Claude at the Daniel Templon Gallery and at Artcurial, as well as in the United States.“At that time, Lalanne was moving away from the decorative arts and furniture sets that had made his reputation, such as the Rhinocrétaire, ” explains expert Alexandre Lacroix. “He decided to focus on animals and to depict them in all their authenticity.”
 

In addition to the bear, he enriched his poetic and fantastical bestiary with several other creatures, such as the Wapiti, the Goldcrest, and even Bibi and Loulou, the couple’s two dogs. In the case of the Little Bear,“what interests him is the animal’s stillness, animated by a tension that we can feel very clearly.”

The small mammal stands on its hind legs, ears pricked up and head slightly turned, on the lookout.“It’s truly a beautiful bronze,”adds Alexandre Lacroix.