The themes explored by the two collectively went against the current trend of Abstract art in the 1960s. The couple believed and Francois-Xavier claimed, "the supreme art is the art of living". The couple began attracting public attention in Paris during the 1960s when
Yves Saint Laurent and
Pierre Bergé commissioned them. In particular, Francois-Xavier's realistic bronze cast sheep covered in skin alongside lily vanes cast by Claude were displayed in the library of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Their first exhibition together included Francois-Xavier's famous rhinoceros desk,
Rhinocrétaire, and Claude's cabbage with chicken legs sculpture. Similar themes by Les Lalanne have classified their works as an ode to Surrealism and Art Nouveau. These themes are paired in their 1989 public art installation of
topiary fountains for the City of
Santa Monica's
Third Street Promenade entitled
The Dinosaurs of Santa Monica, where six tall topiary dinosaurs spew jets of water. In the 21st century, the works of Les Lalanne have been exhibited in different venues in New York City. In 2009, the artist duo participated in "
Park Avenue Recession Art", an effort developed by the Paul Kasmin Gallery, the
New York City Parks Department’s public-art division, and the Fund for Park Avenue Sculpture Committee. The project comprised a series of sculptures in between
crosswalks on Park Avenue. The featured pieces were a bronze apple called
Pomme de New York on 52nd Street,
Moutons on 53rd Street,
Choupatte (Très Grand) on 56th Street, and
Singe Avisé (Très Grand) on 58th Street, which was François-Xavier's last sculpture. In 2021, the
Clark Art Institute exhibited
Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed. The exhibit examined “the ways both artists transformed nature through surreal combinations of flora and fauna, shifts of scale, and flights of fancy, creating hybrid objects that are at once sculptural and, often, functional.” ==References==