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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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Sculpture, Lion, Theo Mackaay

Lion

Theo Mackaay

Sculpture - 70 x 65 x 30 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 25.6 x 11.8 inch

$7,749

Sculpture, Elephant Boss, Theo Mackaay

Elephant Boss

Theo Mackaay

Sculpture - 85 x 80 x 45 cm Sculpture - 33.5 x 31.5 x 17.7 inch

$10,133

Sculpture, Dark Horse, Theo Mackaay

Dark Horse

Theo Mackaay

Sculpture - 160 x 35 x 80 cm Sculpture - 63 x 13.8 x 31.5 inch

$8,285

Sculpture, Le Chat, Changzheng Zhu

Le Chat

Changzheng Zhu

Sculpture - 14 x 24 x 15 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 9.4 x 5.9 inch

$536 $457

Sculpture, Notus, Anne Rabion

Notus

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 46 x 15 x 19 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 5.9 x 7.5 inch

$1,133

Sculpture, Chinook, Anne Rabion

Chinook

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 58 x 30 x 17 cm Sculpture - 22.8 x 11.8 x 6.7 inch

$1,669

Sculpture, Baby Lynx, Bordalo

Baby Lynx

Bordalo

Sculpture - 37 x 32 x 4 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 12.6 x 1.6 inch

$6,557

Sculpture, Fly, Eléonore de Moffarts

Fly

Eléonore de Moffarts

Sculpture - 100 x 80 x 32 cm Sculpture - 39.4 x 31.5 x 12.6 inch

$11,683

Sculpture, Cesar, Virginie Chardon

Cesar

Virginie Chardon

Sculpture - 80 x 64 x 45 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 25.2 x 17.7 inch

$17,882

Sculpture, Lion, Valerian Sioridzé

Lion

Valerian Sioridzé

Sculpture - 13.5 x 14 x 4.5 cm Sculpture - 5.3 x 5.5 x 1.8 inch

$417

Sculpture, Piraña, Dani Brogio

Piraña

Dani Brogio

Sculpture - 68 x 20 x 73 cm Sculpture - 26.8 x 7.9 x 28.7 inch

$4,292

Sculpture, Apporte, Julia Biktimirova

Apporte

Julia Biktimirova

Sculpture - 38 x 43 x 20 cm Sculpture - 15 x 16.9 x 7.9 inch

$5,841

Sculpture, Ours blanc, MIKA L

Ours blanc

MIKA L

Sculpture - 95 x 98 x 25 cm Sculpture - 37.4 x 38.6 x 9.8 inch

$3,338

Sculpture, Escape Game, Madame

Escape Game

Madame

Sculpture - 25 x 25 x 0.5 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.2 inch

$227

Sculpture, Untitled, Hussein Madi

Untitled

Hussein Madi

Sculpture - 39 x 31 x 15 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 12.2 x 5.9 inch

$23,000

Sculpture, Untitled, Hussein Madi

Untitled

Hussein Madi

Sculpture - 39 x 27 x 21 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 10.6 x 8.3 inch

$34,500

Sculpture, Succulent, Gyp Mills

Succulent

Gyp Mills

Sculpture - 40.6 x 33 x 35.6 cm Sculpture - 16 x 13 x 14 inch

$8,941

Sculpture, Élephant, Pascal Chesneau

Élephant

Pascal Chesneau

Sculpture - 37 x 33 x 12 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 13 x 4.7 inch

$6,557

Sculpture, Lion, Pascal Chesneau

Lion

Pascal Chesneau

Sculpture - 28 x 60 x 12 cm Sculpture - 11 x 23.6 x 4.7 inch

$8,941

Sculpture, Grand Rhino Tagué, Miko-R

Grand Rhino Tagué

Miko-R

Sculpture - 110 x 170 x 55 cm Sculpture - 43.3 x 66.9 x 21.7 inch

$9,537

Sculpture, Pop Dog, Luna

Pop Dog

Luna

Sculpture - 15 x 10 x 15 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 3.9 x 5.9 inch

$501

Sculpture, Red robin, Catherine Clare

Red robin

Catherine Clare

Sculpture - 16 x 8 x 10 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 3.1 x 3.9 inch

$536 $483

Sculpture, Faisan, Pascal Chesneau

Faisan

Pascal Chesneau

Sculpture - 35 x 67 x 16 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 26.4 x 6.3 inch

$8,941

Sculpture, Éléphant, Pascal Chesneau

Éléphant

Pascal Chesneau

Sculpture - 20.5 x 36 x 13 cm Sculpture - 8.1 x 14.2 x 5.1 inch

$6,437

Sculpture, Bear XO, Bubble

Bear XO

Bubble

Sculpture - 16 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$566 $482

Sculpture, Birdy Pop, Bubble

Birdy Pop

Bubble

Sculpture - 10 x 8 x 14 cm Sculpture - 3.9 x 3.1 x 5.5 inch

$566 $510

Sculpture, A Pink Giraffe, PickWick

A Pink Giraffe

PickWick

Sculpture - 31 x 11 x 4 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 4.3 x 1.6 inch

$358

Sculpture, Lynx, Guy Lioult

Lynx

Guy Lioult

Sculpture - 21 x 50 x 9 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 19.7 x 3.5 inch

$8,106

Sculpture, Grues du Japon, Guy Lioult

Grues du Japon

Guy Lioult

Sculpture - 24 x 39 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 15.4 x 4.7 inch

$7,749

Sculpture, Voltaire, Maïté Martinez

Voltaire

Maïté Martinez

Sculpture - 24.5 x 12 x 11.5 cm Sculpture - 9.6 x 4.7 x 4.5 inch

$4,649

Sculpture, Complices, Maïté Martinez

Complices

Maïté Martinez

Sculpture - 19.5 x 10 x 12.5 cm Sculpture - 7.7 x 3.9 x 4.9 inch

$3,696

Sculpture, Chergui, Anne Rabion

Chergui

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 43 x 37 x 19 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 14.6 x 7.5 inch

$1,431

Sculpture, Wonderful, Poren Huang

Wonderful

Poren Huang

Sculpture - 21 x 23 x 21 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 9.1 x 8.3 inch

$7,800

Sculpture, Misty, Bernard Rives

Misty

Bernard Rives

Sculpture - 45 x 18 x 12 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 7.1 x 4.7 inch

$1,788

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Print, Balance, Irena Aizen

Balance

Irena Aizen

Print - 25.5 x 22.5 x 1 cm Print - 10 x 8.9 x 0.4 inch

$772

Print, Paris verte, M.Chat

Paris verte

M.Chat

Print - 44 x 35 cm Print - 17.3 x 13.8 inch

$417

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.