François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Bar Sells for $31.4M at Sotheby's, Setting New Auction Record

François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Bar, a unique piece from 1976, sold for $31.4 million at Sotheby's New York on December 10, 2025, tripling its pre-sale estimate of $7-10 million. This marks a new auction record for the artist and the highest price ever achieved for a design lot at auction. The piece was part of the Important Design sale featuring works from the Schlumberger Collection. The previous record for Lalanne was set in 2023 at Christie's Paris, where Rhinocrétaire I (1964) sold for €18.3 million. In June 2025, Grand Rhinocrétaire II fetched $16.4 million at Sotheby's New York, then the second-highest result. The bidding war lasted nearly half an hour with at least seven determined bidders at Sotheby's Breuer Building. Commissioned in 1976 by Anne Schlumberger, Hippopotame Bar is a functional sculpture that conceals everything needed for drink preparation. It is the only example executed in copper, unlike later bronze versions. Lalanne, who died in 2008, and his wife Claude (died 2019) formed the duo Les Lalanne, known for animal-shaped functional sculptures. The sale underscores sustained global demand for Lalanne's work across primary and secondary markets.