Record-Breaking $31.4 Million Hippopotamus Bar Sells at Auction, Redefining Design's Value

French designer François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar, pièce unique (1976) sold for a staggering $31.4 million at Sotheby’s on December 10th. This sale not only smashed its pre-sale high estimate of $10 million but also set the highest price for the artist at auction and the highest price ever achieved for a design work at auction, with all prices including fees.

The final price was the result of an intense 26-minute bidding battle at the New York auction house, involving seven bidders. This event underscores the growing popularity of design in the art market, highlighting how functional pieces are being recognized as significant artworks.

Hippopotame Bar, pièce unique was part of the Schlumberger Collection, belonging to French-born oil heiress and longtime Houston resident Anne Schlumberger and her family. Schlumberger commissioned the work in 1976, making it one of Lalanne’s earliest and most significant explorations of the hippopotamus form. This intimate collaboration yielded the only example executed in hand-wrought copper. Schlumberger died in April 2025.

François-Xavier and his wife, Claude, are often referred to as Les Lalanne, a design duo known for their whimsical, surreal sculptural furniture and fanciful bronzes. Blending animal forms with natural motifs, their work turns everyday use into playful artworks. The design duo gained recognition gradually. In the 1980s, they only caught the attention of the French. However, by the 2000s, the designers had finally gained the attention of international collectors, and that interest continues to rise today.

François-Xavier’s previous artist record was held by Rhinocretaire I (1964), another sculpture containing a bar, which sold for $19.4 million at Christie’s in 2023. In June, a similar piece came close to the record, when Grand Rhinocrétaire II (2003) fetched $16.4 million at Sotheby’s. This followed a sale dedicated to the designer, which fetched $59 million at Christie’s in October 2024.

Claude’s auction record is held by Très grand choupatte (2014), which sold for €4.9 million ($5.3 million) at Christie’s in 2023.