François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame I stands among most recognisable and imaginative creations. This life-sized sculpture of a hippopotamus is not a static representation but a fully articulated work of functional sculpture. The head lifts to reveal a washbasin surmounted by a circular mirror, while four hinged panels along the back conceal a bath. Playful in design yet rigorous in execution, the work exemplifies Lalanne’s surrealist wit and his commitment to uniting art with use.

For Lalanne, the animal kingdom offered a limitless source of formal invention: “The animal world provides the richest and most various shapes on the planet,” he observed. Hippopotame I epitomises this philosophy, transforming a familiar domestic fixture into a witty, dream-infused bestiary object. The hippopotamus, a creature long associated with water, proves an especially apt choice for a bathroom setting. The striking blue resin strengthens the association, its watery hue evoking immersion, refreshment and escape.

The first iteration of Hippopotame I entered the collection of Alexina “Teeny” Duchamp in the early 1970s, shortly after she settled near Fontainebleau, where she developed a close friendship with Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. Only three examples of the blue version are known: two dating to the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the present example, realised in 1998. The rarity of the model underlines its exceptional status within Lalanne’s oeuvre.

The work has featured prominently in major retrospectives of the Lalannes’ practice, including the exhibition at Château de Chenonceau in 1991 and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris in 2010. It has also been likened to a Duchampian ready-made in its playful use of colour and transformation of the everyday. At once sculpture, furniture and fantasy object, Hippopotame I invites multiple modes of engagement: it can be contemplated, inhabited, or simply enjoyed for the poetic absurdity it embodies.