My visit to Planète Lalanne in Venice brought together two things I love: art inspired by nature and a wonderfully irreverent sense of humor. These photographs and my original film look back at the 2024 exhibition at Palazzo Rota Ivancich.
A Venetian palazzo, full of surprises
Planète Lalanne ran at Palazzo Rota Ivancich in Venice from April 17 to November 3, 2024. Presented by Ben Brown Fine Arts and curated by Jérôme Neutres, it brought together more than 150 works during the year of the Venice Biennale.
The photographs bring back the contrast I found so charming: an ornate historic interior and objects that seem to have wandered in from a very imaginative dream. Behind me, a bright blue hippopotamus opens to reveal a bathtub. Elsewhere, a bird’s head rises above a bed, and a small rabbit appears to be wearing an extravagant leafy collar.
I filmed much more than I photographed. The Reel below holds a little more of that visit, while these few images give the eye time to rest on individual details.
A little of my visit to Planète Lalanne
Galina’s original exhibition Reel, filmed in Venice. The video is in Russian; the English story on this page shares her reflections and the context behind the works.
The idea, in English
Galina shares her delight in the Lalannes’ playful furniture and sculpture, from a hippopotamus bathtub to a bird-shaped bed. Her reflection is an invitation to keep pursuing the ideas that matter to you and to leave room for humor along the way.
Sculpture with a place in everyday life
The French sculptors Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne shared a studio and exhibited together, while developing distinct bodies of work. Plants and animals became the starting points for objects that moved between sculpture and furniture. The exhibition’s domestic arrangement made that relationship easy to understand: these were imaginative things with a place in a room.
That is what appeals to me. A useful object can also be strange, tender or funny. Nature does not have to remain outside the window; it can enter the home in an entirely unexpected form.
Looking at their work, I am reminded that care and playfulness belong together. The detail deserves attention, and the idea can still make you smile.
A rhinoceros, and a remarkable auction result
One figure in my original notes deserved a little context. François-Xavier Lalanne’s Rhinocrétaire I, made in 1964, sold at Christie’s in Paris on October 20, 2023 for €18,335,000. Christie’s recorded it as a world auction record for the artist at that time in its 2023 results report.
The work itself is as intriguing as the number: a rhinoceros whose body conceals a desk, a bar and a safe, described in Christie’s catalogue. It is one extraordinary example of how far an unusual idea can travel.
For me, the pleasure of the exhibition was more immediate than any auction result. I could stand in front of these objects, laugh a little, and feel my own imagination becoming less cautious.
What I took home from Venice
My own paintings return to landscapes, water and changing light. The Lalannes’ world looks very different, yet I recognize the pleasure of beginning with nature and allowing a personal way of seeing to emerge.
The thought I wanted to share after this visit was simple: give your ideas a chance. Keep working on what moves you, even when the direction feels unusual. There should be room in a creative life for conviction, curiosity and a good sense of humor.
That feeling also runs through my story of starting to paint at 38. Sometimes the most meaningful step is simply to begin.
A few questions
Who were Les Lalanne?
Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne were French sculptors known collectively as Les Lalanne. Their distinct bodies of work brought plants, animals and imaginative forms into sculpture, furniture and everyday objects.
Where was the Planète Lalanne exhibition in Venice?
It took place at Palazzo Rota Ivancich, Venice, Italy, from April 17 to November 3, 2024. This article is a personal exhibition diary from that visit, rather than a listing for a current show.
Is Galina’s exhibition video in English?
The original Instagram Reel is in Russian. This English article adapts Galina’s reflections and adds verified exhibition and auction context; it is not a word-for-word transcript.
Sources & original photographs
Adapted from Galina’s Russian exhibition notes and Reel, with photographs supplied by the artist. The sculptures and furniture shown are by Les Lalanne; the photographs document Galina’s visit. Exhibition details and the historical auction result are linked to primary sources below.
