François-Xavier Lalanne

François-Xavier Lalanne (Agen, 1927 – 2008) was a French sculptor. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris and in 1948 worked in the Oriental Antiquities department of the Louvre.

In 1952 he met Claude Lalanne; together they formed the artist duo 'Les Lalanne'. In 1960s Paris they rose to prominence, in part through commissions from fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Lalanne is known for his realistic bronze animals and functional, surrealist sculptures that combine fantasy with usability, from flocks of sheep to his famous 'Rhinocrétaire', a desk in the shape of a rhinoceros.