François-Xavier Lalanne’s Grande Carpe (1996–2002) is a harmony of playful irreverence and sculptural majesty. Executed in gilt bronze, the sculpture exudes a whimsical elegance paired with a restrained gravitas, characteristic of François-Xavier’s monumental animal sculptures. Its gently inflated body and fluid contours reflect Lalanne’s commitment to purity of line and form, evoking not only the poised simplicity of modernist animalier traditions but also the serene repose of relics from Ancient Egypt and Assyria – a sensibility he developed during his early work in the Oriental Antiquities department of the Louvre.

The sculpture’s monumental scale enhances these dual qualities. The carp’s serene, almost sacerdotal stillness gives it a presence akin to that of a ritual object. Yet subtle details – such as the slight tilt of its fins or the soft curvature of its body – give it an endearing character and humorous undertone. Grand Carpe thus embodies the core of François-Xavier’s artistic philosophy, where myth, nature, and the everyday converge in a refined, thought-provoking form.