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François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar, pièce unique (1976) sold for $31.4 million at Sotheby’s New York on Dec 10, 2025, after a 26-minute bidding battle between seven bidders—blowing past its $7–10M estimate and setting a new all-time auction record for a work of design (and for Lalanne). Commissioned by patron Anne Schlumberger, this one-of-one sculpture-bar is pure Lalanne magic: a copper-clad hippopotamus hiding a fully functional bar setup—think concealed compartments for bottles, ice, glassware, and snacks. So… is it furniture, sculpture, or the most expensive “happy hour” ever created?