Lalanne’s Iconic Hippo Bar Makes History At Sotheby’s For ₹284.5 Crore/ $31.4 Million

When the French sculptor Francois-Xavier Lalanne started crafting a Hippo-shaped bar in 1976, he had no idea that nearly five decades on, it would shatter a world record. Earlier this month, this sculptural Hippopotame Bar sold for $31.4 million, equivalent to ₹284.5 Crore, at Sotheby’s in New York. A part of the multifarious and multi-century Schlumberger Collection, this piece, hand-wrought in copper, was among Lalanne’s initial oeuvres. Commissioned by the late oil heiress Anne Schlumberger in 1976, this piece is the sole incarnation to be ever sculpted in copper, with its subsequent iterations all cast in bronze. Initially estimated at $7 million–$10 million, the sale achieved the highest price ever recorded at auction for a work of design and for the artist.

Lalanne’s And His Functional Animals

Somewhere between surrealism, furniture, and whimsy lies Hippopotame Bar, a pièce unique. Crafted from hand-wrought copper, maillechort, stainless steel, brass and painted wood, this bar showcases Lalanne’s penchant for the animal form. It features concealed compartments that open up to reveal partitions that store barware. With the head opening to a hors d’oeuvre tray supported by a tongue bracket, a central door opening to a revolving wine bottle and glassware storage rack, it also houses a wine cooler. A sliding tray at the rear provides additional storage, while a discreet door adjacent to the head offers a secluded storage space. This Hippo-shaped bar is not a solitary apparition of Lalanne’s sculptural universe. The husband and wife duo, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, also monikered Les Lalannes, have crafted various flora and fauna over the years. 

In October, they set a record with ‘Rhinocrétaire I’ (1964), which sold for $19.4 million at Christie’s, Paris. The brass rhinoceros housing a desk, safe, bar and wine storage was the first sculpture François-Xavier created after retiring from painting, in 1963. While the hippopotamus shape was a recurring one in Lalanne’s career—he also made bathtubs and even a bidet after the animal—the work sold on Wednesday is his only example of a bar made from copper. With a growing need for bespoke, culturally sanctioned pieces by collectors across the world, Les Lalanne’s market is at an all-time high, courtesy of their surrealist expression. According to ArtTactic, in 2025, the design and decorative arts category has grown by 20.4% year-over-year to $172 million in the first half of the year.

Commissioning The Hippopotame Bar

While it was Anne Schlumberger who commissioned the Hippopotame Bar, collecting Lalanne’s has been a multigenerational pursuit for the family, an expression of taste, friendship and age-old patronage. This patronage started with Anne’s father, Pierre Schlumberger, an American businessman who collected Lalanne’s works because of his passion for eccentric oeuvres and his way of living. Anne Schlumberger first discovered François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne in Centre Pompidou, Paris, during an exhibition. This meet-cute led to a friendship that ultimately transformed into patronage. In keeping with the family’s legacy, Anne’s sister, Katie Schlumberger—herself a patron of Les Lalanne—owned Lalanne’s ‘Rhinocrétaire.’ It is within this intimate circle of admiration and influence that Anne went on to commission a softer yet sculptural piece—hippopotamus. “The Hippopotamus Bar, like so many pieces she lived with, embodied her sense of wonder, humour, and love of life,” avers the Schlumberger family.

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Renowned for her theatrical lifestyle and affinity for entertaining artists and aristocrats, amid salons embellished with art, glamour and antiques, Anne allegedly served guests chips and salsa from the hippo bar. As the French heiress based in Houston passed away last April, she left behind a formidable legacy, defined by her fearless patronage of 20th-century art and design. The trove known as the Schlumberger Collection took centre stage at Sotheby’s inaugural design sale at the Breuer, mirroring a pronounced surge in collector appetite—particularly for early works and singular, distinct commissions. “Her cross-category approach—linking painting, sculpture, design, and jewellery—anticipated the way collectors think today,” notes Jodi Pollack, Chairman and Co-Worldwide Head of 20th-Century Design, Sotheby’s. 

The Schlumberger Assemblage

The collection convened an eclectic and deeply intentional mix of fine art, design, jewellery, and African antiquities. “Our mother’s collection reflects the breadth of her curiosity and the connections she found across disciplines—bringing together painting, sculpture, design, and jewellery in ways that felt both natural and surprising,” states the Schlumberger family. Along with the Hippopotame Bar (1976), the sale saw a set of Claude Lalanne’s ‘Anémone’ balustrade elements far exceeding expectations, climbing from an estimate of $80,000–$120,000 to $431,800, signalling a fierce demand. 

With masterpieces, like Claude Monet’s ‘Vue de Rouen depuis la côte Sainte-Catherine,’ dating to circa 1892, Salvador Dalí’s ‘Swirling Sea Necklace,’ and a rare ‘Pre-Bembe’ (Buyu) African tribal ancestor figure, the collection was richly layered. “Within this vision, her pioneering support of Les Lalannes stands out: the Schlumberger Collection remains one of the greatest assemblages of their work in this country and a lasting testament to her legacy,” shares Pollack. In dialogue across centuries, geographies, and disciplines, the collection speaks with conviction of taste, legacy and a realm where patronage was punctuated in the most mundane corners. 

In an era increasingly untethered from reality, the Schlumberger Collection reminds us that true patronage comes out of commitment to the art and its makers. While the market is saturated with an oversupply of artists, digital glut and ever-evolving appetites, the collectors gravitate towards pieces that resonate and endure. The $31.4 million realised by Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar of objects that are culturally irreplaceable.