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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Black wolf-fire impact
Cyril Maccioni
Sculpture - 30 x 14.5 x 19 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 5.7 x 7.5 inch
$2,135
Toro pierre valiente 3/3
Palolo Valdes
Sculpture - 65 x 50 x 30 cm Sculpture - 25.6 x 19.7 x 11.8 inch
$20,761
The Love of Pain (Pink and Silver)
Dan Baldwin
Sculpture - 25 x 18 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 7.1 inch
$4,400
Gorille Dos Argenté
Bernard Rebaudet
Sculpture - 24 x 30 x 35 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 11.8 x 13.8 inch
$13,643
Chien Rouge
Chantal Derderian-Christol
Sculpture - 50 x 40 x 35 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 15.7 x 13.8 inch
$2,135
Chouette assise
Madeleine Van der Knoop
Sculpture - 27 x 23 x 13 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 9.1 x 5.1 inch
$4,627
Listen to your heart
Dani Brogio
Sculpture - 78 x 25 x 30 cm Sculpture - 30.7 x 9.8 x 11.8 inch
$2,966
Azure Soul
Bill- William Larouche
Sculpture - 50.8 x 40.6 x 12.7 cm Sculpture - 20 x 16 x 5 inch
$2,140
The black prince
Pierre Sgamma
Sculpture - 257 x 65 x 45 cm Sculpture - 101.2 x 25.6 x 17.7 inch
$23,134
Series Snails whit French nails 1- Silk, wire, plastic, paint, latex, wood and clay
Lena Widmann
Sculpture - 50 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
$1,424
Eulenmann - L’homme-hibou
Hans Mendler
Sculpture - 155 x 15 x 30 cm Sculpture - 61 x 5.9 x 11.8 inch
$5,813
Ursus Aerus Major
Bart van Somers
Sculpture - 87 x 50 x 34 cm Sculpture - 34.3 x 19.7 x 13.4 inch
$29,065
Bull's Head
Romain Tran-Thi-Bip
Sculpture - 80 x 70 x 60 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 27.6 x 23.6 inch
$3,203
Animalis Memoria
Lara Blanchard
Sculpture - 70 x 65 x 20 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 25.6 x 7.9 inch
$2,788
Rabbit Wisdom
Nora Blazeviciute
Sculpture - 33 x 14.5 x 21 cm Sculpture - 13 x 5.7 x 8.3 inch
$475 $427
Elephant Clear Pink
Christopher Schulz
Sculpture - 13 x 17.8 x 9 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 7 x 3.5 inch
$2,254
Milarius Dogonarus
Michel Flamme
Sculpture - 48 x 26 x 30 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 10.2 x 11.8 inch
$2,729
Sam #8 – Sculpture résine pop colorée
Laurence Chiche
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 22 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 8.7 inch
$3,262
Lièvre à la déesse
Véronique Dominici
Sculpture - 40 x 39 x 20 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.4 x 7.9 inch
$1,424
Vive les fleurs les chats qui surfent
Seb Paul Michel
Sculpture - 17 x 12 x 5 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 4.7 x 2 inch
$297
Flying Dumbo blue 1/8
SA Candela
Sculpture - 100 x 35 x 35 cm Sculpture - 39.4 x 13.8 x 13.8 inch
$7,118
Unity Blooming Bear
Juliana Berdugo
Sculpture - 53 x 33 x 23 cm Sculpture - 20.9 x 13 x 9.1 inch
$7,355
Aigle sur globe
Brigitte Téman
Sculpture - 73 x 46 x 52 cm Sculpture - 28.7 x 18.1 x 20.5 inch
$27,048
Convergence animalière
Jean-Paul Jacquet
Sculpture - 40 x 70 x 15 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 27.6 x 5.9 inch
$1,661
Garden of Love
Tamara Bakhshinyan
Sculpture - 37 x 45 x 2 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
$581
Le babouin sacré
Rembrandt Bugatti
Sculpture - 43 x 42 x 20 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 16.5 x 7.9 inch
$8,542 $7,687
DIP (white series)
Federico Alibrio
Sculpture - 25 x 33 x 10 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 13 x 3.9 inch
$237
Magritte Khan No16, c.
Kokopelli
Sculpture - 45 x 81 x 19 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 31.9 x 7.5 inch
$4,152 $3,529
Troglodytes Mignons
Judith Devaux
Sculpture - 11.5 x 29 x 11 cm Sculpture - 4.5 x 11.4 x 4.3 inch
$3,203
Cheval soleil - Sculpture équestre ferronnerie sur peuplier
Pierre Conte
Sculpture - 23 x 43 x 11 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 16.9 x 4.3 inch
$267
Gorille assis
Jean-Baptiste Vendamme
Sculpture - 34 x 49 x 20 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 19.3 x 7.9 inch
$11,033
Vache couchée I
François-Xavier Lalanne
Sculpture - 16 x 43 x 19.5 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 16.9 x 7.7 inch
$231,335
Eléphantasme organique
Anis Dargaa
Sculpture - 36 x 29 x 12 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 11.4 x 4.7 inch
$21,354
Lion d'Afrique
Gilbert Sacchetti
Sculpture - 35 x 68 x 40 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 26.8 x 15.7 inch
$23,727
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
$605
Standing Wild Bear
Richard Orlinski
Sculpture - 80 x 52 x 58 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 20.5 x 22.8 inch
$92,534
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.