Lalanne sculptures auction to pay for Paris museum extension

Proceeds of sale of rarely seen art works by Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne to go to Musee d'Orsay

A private collection of rarely seen sculptures by the French artists Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne is to go on sale to pay for an extension to the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Daniel Marchesseau, a close friend of the sculptors for 50 years, agreed to part with the works as part of a 5m (4.2m) gift to create an annexe for the archiving and research of 19th-century art.