François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008), Rhinocrétaire II, 1966
Brass, wood sheathed in sheet brass, rhinoceros horn, leather, steel
Purchase of Rhinocrétaire II thanks to the patronage of Gregory and Regina Annenberg Weingarten / GRoW @ Annenberg, 2010
Inv. 2010.1.1
© ADAGP, Paris / Les Arts Décoratifs / photo: Jean Tholance
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In 1964, a first Secrétaire Rhinoceros is created. Manufactured two years later, the rare and spectacular piece in the museum is emblematic of François-Xavier Lalanne’s poetic and surrealist world. The articulated brass shell houses a secretary desk and shelves. The artist was particularly fond of the rhinoceros theme and used it in several large scale versions, in metal or leather, with different functions (desk, seat), as well as on engravings.