Ammon News - A rare bar in the shape of a hippopotamus by François-Xavier Lalanne sold for $31.4m (with fees) at a Sotheby’s design auction in New York on Wednesday (10 December), breaking the artist’s secondary-market record and becoming the most valuable design object ever sold at auction.

Like many of the whimsical-yet-practical designs created by Lalanne (and in collaboration with his wife and design partner Claude Lalanne), the hippo is a fully functioning bar. The animal’s side opens up to reveal a revolving bottle rack, storage for glasses, an ice bucket and a tray for serving food.

The bar was estimated to sell for between $7m and $10m, but after a 26-minute contest between 7 bidders, the price climbed to $31.4m (including fees). Not only did Hippopotame Bar smash its estimate, it also exceeded Lalanne’s previous auction record by more than $10m. That work, Rhinocrétaire I (1964), held a desk, safe, bar and wine storage in a brass rhinoceros. It sold for €18.3m (with fees) at Christie’s Paris in 2023.