Animal Sculpture for Sale
Animal sculpture is a sculptural style in its own right. This specific genre deserves the same recognition as nude, marble, bronze and resin sculptures.
The representation of animals and anthropomorphism has long been a source of inspiration for sculptural creations and yet it was once considered a minor genre in Western European decorative arts. Ironically, animal sculpture was of the utmost importance to Ancient civilizations. Countless ancient Egyptian buildings for example were adorned with animal sculptures, from grandiose representations of felines to Sphinxes. More generally within the visual arts, animals were rarely represented in their own right, and were often depicted accompanying or symbolizing mythological figures or even character traits.
Aside from its mythical representations, animal sculptures were also popular with suzerain states who used monumental bronze sculptures of lions or eagles to symbolise the immensity of their power.
However, it wasn't until 1831 that the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye finally established animal sculpture as a noble art, thanks to his work "Tiger devouring a Gavial Crocodile" at the Salon de Paris. It was no longer fashionable to depict animals as unreal, mythological creatures in the decorative arts and instead naturalism and realistic representations of animals characterized the sculpture of the period. Ideas about nature's wealth and abundance meant that all creatures deserved to be carefully and meticulously recreated in the closest likeness possible. Mythical animal interpretations were left behind and artists concentrated on capturing the finer details of an animal's fur, muscles or mouth.
A new wave of renowned animal sculptors emerged. Pierre-Jules Mêne, Antoine Aigon and Jean Germain Demay are just a few examples of some of these pioneering artists. Particularly interested in 'exotic' species (snakes, gazelles, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses…), they all explored representing the natural world in a variety of different ways.
In the 20th century, realist tendencies gradually faded away and a new group of creative minds began to experiment with animal sculpture as part of the shift towards modern sculpture.
Numerous artists tried their hand at animal sculpture whilst applying new aesthetic criteria which was largely influenced by modern and contemporary art movements: Abstract art, Impressionism, Cubism, Expressionism. Guided by key surrealist influences, which could not have been further removed from the traditional styles of the past century, a new bestiary was created. Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti were among the key figures who helped to reinvent the way artists endeavored to sculpt animals.
In contemporary animal sculpture, radically redefining artistic techniques and the way we represent living beings has taken precedence over realistic proportion sizes and lifelike features. Artists no longer refrain from accentuating a particular body part, removing a limb for example or creating an entirely new hybrid beast. However, many artists are also skilled at creating hyper-realistic animals that seem so real they almost appear to be alive.
To help you get an idea of the latest animal sculptures, take a look at Artsper's collection of sculpted animals, selected from some of the best contemporary art galleries and made by artists including Jaques Dufrane, Raymundo Fabian Melchor and Roxana y Jesus Hernandez.
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Grand tigre royal
Patrick Villas
Sculpture - 167 x 60 x 160 cm Sculpture - 65.7 x 23.6 x 63 inch
€110,000
Grand jaguar couché
Patrick Villas
Sculpture - 65 x 114 x 36 cm Sculpture - 25.6 x 44.9 x 14.2 inch
€40,000
Tête de panthère fontaine, maquette
Patrick Villas
Sculpture - 30 x 18 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.1 x 7.9 inch
€8,000
Petit Léopard sur le rocher
Patrick Villas
Sculpture - 29 x 23 x 16 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 9.1 x 6.3 inch
€6,000
Emma e l’elef. Medio
Stefano Bombardieri
Sculpture - 72 x 60 x 30 cm Sculpture - 28.3 x 23.6 x 11.8 inch
€21,000
Ours en équilibre Pop Art Brillant
André Gacko
Sculpture - 86 x 25 x 25 cm Sculpture - 33.9 x 9.8 x 9.8 inch
€3,880
Trio ours Banksy bleu co n° 2
André Gacko
Sculpture - 80 x 25 x 23 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 9.8 x 9.1 inch
€3,700
At the water's edge / A fleur d'eau
Sylvie Gaudissart
Sculpture - 10.5 x 30 x 10 cm Sculpture - 4.1 x 11.8 x 3.9 inch
€1,950
Yuki the young yak (White)
Mark Ryden
Sculpture - 43.2 x 30.5 x 25.4 cm Sculpture - 17 x 12 x 10 inch
€1,800
Hippo et Papillons - ( sculpture, bronze )
Philippe Berry
Sculpture - 45 x 35 x 35 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 13.8 x 13.8 inch
€6,800
Grand Cha'marche bien!
Lolek
Sculpture - 88 x 79 x 35 cm Sculpture - 34.6 x 31.1 x 13.8 inch
€13,400
Louis Vuitton turtle
Diederik Van Apple
Sculpture - 25 x 40 x 25 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 15.7 x 9.8 inch
€1,456
Suricate Solitaire I
Mauro Corda
Sculpture - 45 x 16 x 21 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 6.3 x 8.3 inch
€9,000
Omaggio a Colbert - mini edition P.S
Stefano Bombardieri
Sculpture - 41 x 14 x 23 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 5.5 x 9.1 inch
€15,000
Fashion Bull xxl
Angela Gomes
Sculpture - 130 x 50 x 60 cm Sculpture - 51.2 x 19.7 x 23.6 inch
€6,500
Ballon Dog Gold and Chupa Chups
Koen Betjes
Sculpture - 13 x 13 x 9 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 5.1 x 3.5 inch
€415
Fauvette pitchou
François Galoyer
Sculpture - 11.5 x 8 x 4.5 cm Sculpture - 4.5 x 3.1 x 1.8 inch
€3,500 €3,150
Dardos yellow
Javier de la Rosa
Sculpture - 20 x 120 x 30 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 47.2 x 11.8 inch
€2,466
Skywalker & Yoda
Benjamin Pietri
Sculpture - 26 x 19.5 x 5.5 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 7.7 x 2.2 inch
€600
Tandem d’Ewoks
Benjamin Pietri
Sculpture - 26 x 19.5 x 5.5 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 7.7 x 2.2 inch
€600
Le menteur d'amour
Lucie De Syracuse
Sculpture - 38.5 x 27 x 16 cm Sculpture - 15.2 x 10.6 x 6.3 inch
€1,500
Crocodile (1)
Richard Orlinski
Sculpture - 45 x 110 x 45 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 43.3 x 17.7 inch
€15,000
Hibou des marais
François Galoyer
Sculpture - 36 x 20 x 15 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 7.9 x 5.9 inch
€6,800
Grand chat assis
François Galoyer
Sculpture - 50 x 18 x 34 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 7.1 x 13.4 inch
€8,900
A Story About a Hat: Inspired by Tumanyan
Aghvan Sahakyan
Sculpture - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
€5,461
Sweet collection gummy bear sculpture - blue
Gabriela Alejandra Rivera
Sculpture - 25 x 12 x 9 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 4.7 x 3.5 inch
€650
Bouledogue Anglais
Florence Jacquesson
Sculpture - 17 x 16 x 14 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 6.3 x 5.5 inch
€4,900
Whale « baleak »
Baleak (Lehoux-Lopez)
Sculpture - 120 x 80 x 47 cm Sculpture - 47.2 x 31.5 x 18.5 inch
€2,000
White tailed sea eagle and Scottish crab
Barry Davies
Sculpture - 35 x 25 x 29 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.8 x 11.4 inch
€7,065
6- Masque Crocodile
Joseph Kurhajec
Sculpture - 46 x 14 x 5 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 5.5 x 2 inch
€1,500
4- Masque Éléphant
Joseph Kurhajec
Sculpture - 70 x 35 x 12 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 13.8 x 4.7 inch
€1,875
La Limace et le cobra ou L’homme dans tous ses états - Sculpture bronze
Plaf
Sculpture - 15 x 12 x 8.5 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 4.7 x 3.3 inch
€1,500
Sphynx - Sculpture bronze
Plaf
Sculpture - 14.5 x 6 x 9.5 cm Sculpture - 5.7 x 2.4 x 3.7 inch
€1,500
Le tartigrade - Sculpture bronze
Plaf
Sculpture - 7 x 16.5 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 2.8 x 6.5 x 3 inch
€1,500
Knuffel II (Stuffed animal)
Babette Degraeve
Sculpture - 32 x 15 x 15 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 5.9 x 5.9 inch
€1,350
Leapfrog
Helle Rask Crawford
Sculpture - 130 x 40 x 40 cm Sculpture - 51.2 x 15.7 x 15.7 inch
€9,600
Gaia e la balena Piccola
Stefano Bombardieri
Sculpture - 15 x 85 x 27 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 33.5 x 10.6 inch
€24,000
Taureau Lamborghini
Omar Aoufia
Sculpture - 220 x 130 x 180 cm Sculpture - 86.6 x 51.2 x 70.9 inch
€5,449
Panthére en métal recyclé
Omar Aoufia
Sculpture - 94 x 44 x 178 cm Sculpture - 37 x 17.3 x 70.1 inch
€5,150
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Kong Christmas 2024 Gold edition
Richard Orlinski
Design - 19 x 13.5 x 7 cm Design - 7.5 x 5.3 x 2.8 inch
€510
Standing Wild Bear
Richard Orlinski
Sculpture - 80 x 52 x 58 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 20.5 x 22.8 inch
€78,000
Need help with Animal Sculpture for Sale ?
Who are the animal sculptors?
Animal sculptors, called animaliers, create works depicting wildlife in bronze, ceramic, or other materials. Among the most famous are François Pompon, Rembrandt Bugatti, and Richard Orlinski.
What are the three main types of sculptures?
The three main types of sculpture are sculpture in the round (sculpture in volume, visible from all angles), bas-relief (sculpture slightly protruding from a background) and high-relief (sculpture in great relief, almost detached from the background).
Who is Jacques Owczarek?
Jacques Owczarek is a French sculptor born in 1969, renowned for his clean-lined bronze animal sculptures. His work combines strength and elegance, capturing the essence of animals with great technical mastery.
Who is the most famous animal sculptor of all time?
Antoine-Louis Barye is considered the most famous animal sculptor of all time. A master of bronze in the 19th century, he revolutionized the depiction of animals with his realism and sense of movement.