Here is the very unusual provenance of the fish.
A complete collection of 1970s sardine sculptures by Claude Lalanne - purchased at Sotheby's Andy Warhol Estate auction in 1988. These were in storage for 10 years. When they were removed it was discovered that several of the fish were badly damaged due to moisture & exposure. The ones pictured were in such a poor condition that the some of the leather was decaying, paint chipping and the interior foam stuffing was rotting. They were impossible to preserve intact. So - I could not bear to toss them out. I removed the innards, cut the two sides from one another and saved as much of each fish as possible. As is seen, I painted on the surfaces and at least brought them into another incarnation! Click each image for a larger view.
Some of the fish works - all pieces now unavailable.
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| Francoise Lalanne with a set |
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| The original creators with Ray Charles and a Sardine |