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, La Possédée, André Masson

André Masson

Sculpture - 38 x 42 x 18 cm Sculpture - 15 x 16.5 x 7.1 inch

$38,887

Sculpture, Piaf Pikachu, Valerie Marty

Valerie Marty

Sculpture - 21 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$911

Sculpture, Wild kong red, Richard Orlinski

Richard Orlinski

Sculpture - 150 x 115 x 65 cm Sculpture - 59.1 x 45.3 x 25.6 inch

$48,365 $42,562

Sculpture, Funny doggy, Patrick Cornée

Patrick Cornée

Sculpture - 36 x 35 x 15 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 13.8 x 5.9 inch

$2,309

Sculpture, L'éléphant, Pierre Gimenez

Pierre Gimenez

Sculpture - 30 x 34 x 10 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 13.4 x 3.9 inch

$2,673

Sculpture, Chat sur bidon, C215

C215

Sculpture - 22 x 17 x 7 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 6.7 x 2.8 inch

$2,673

Sculpture, Misty, Bernard Rives

Bernard Rives

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

$1,823

Sculpture, Tattoo bull II, James Chiew

James Chiew

Sculpture - 35 x 62 x 39 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 24.4 x 15.4 inch

$2,977

Sculpture, Horse head, Jón Leifsson

Jón Leifsson

Sculpture - 27 x 24 x 15 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 9.4 x 5.9 inch

$972

Sculpture, Mauka, Anne Rabion

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 25 x 11 x 10 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 4.3 x 3.9 inch

$911

Sculpture, Anubis, Erik Ebeling

Erik Ebeling

Sculpture - 25 x 16 x 19 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 6.3 x 7.5 inch

$590

Sculpture, Les copines, Sophie Barut

Sophie Barut

Sculpture - 5 x 14 x 8 cm Sculpture - 2 x 5.5 x 3.1 inch

$972

Sculpture, Cha'tourbillonne, Lolek

Lolek

Sculpture - 27 x 9 x 20 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 3.5 x 7.9 inch

$2,856

Sculpture, Jaguar head, Chris Tap

Chris Tap

Sculpture - 21 x 19 x 26 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 7.5 x 10.2 inch

$4,253

Sculpture, RoboCat pink, Hiro Ando

Hiro Ando

Sculpture - 31 x 25 x 25 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 9.8 x 9.8 inch

$5,468

Sculpture, Taureau 5, Julien Cuny

Julien Cuny

Sculpture - 35 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch

$911

Sculpture, Blue Tiger, PickWick

PickWick

Sculpture - 19.5 x 40 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 7.7 x 15.7 x 3 inch

$729

Sculpture, Angel Bear, Richard Texier

Richard Texier

Sculpture - 22 x 18 x 16.5 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 7.1 x 6.5 inch

$729

Sculpture, Doggy John, Julien Marinetti

Julien Marinetti

Sculpture - 37 x 26 x 40 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 10.2 x 15.7 inch

$21,752

Sculpture, Relax, Gaël Rouxeville

Gaël Rouxeville

Sculpture - 9 x 31 x 9 cm Sculpture - 3.5 x 12.2 x 3.5 inch

$972

Sculpture, Chipie, Joseph Piermatteo

Joseph Piermatteo

Sculpture - 33 x 26 x 14 cm Sculpture - 13 x 10.2 x 5.5 inch

$1,118

Sculpture, Ave I, Rocio Mazuecos

Rocio Mazuecos

Sculpture - 26 x 30 x 12 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 11.8 x 4.7 inch

$881

Sculpture, Loup, Christiane Guerry

Christiane Guerry

Sculpture - 54 x 46 x 10 cm Sculpture - 21.3 x 18.1 x 3.9 inch

$632

Sculpture, Chouette, Patmoli

Patmoli

Sculpture - 39 x 30 x 7 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 11.8 x 2.8 inch

$729

Sculpture, Arthus, Michel Duclos

Michel Duclos

Sculpture - 21 x 37 x 20 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 14.6 x 7.9 inch

$2,309

Sculpture, Bird Trap, ROA

ROA

Sculpture - 53 x 56 x 14.7 cm Sculpture - 20.9 x 22 x 5.8 inch

$9,114

Sculpture, Chanoir x Reese, Chanoir

Chanoir

Sculpture - 30 x 21 x 6 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 8.3 x 2.4 inch

$1,701

Sculpture, Horse, Gelitin

Gelitin

Sculpture - 132 x 60 x 100 cm Sculpture - 52 x 23.6 x 39.4 inch

$5,955

Sculpture, King Kong, Yaniv Edery

Yaniv Edery

Sculpture - 70 x 70 x 60 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 27.6 x 23.6 inch

$84,457

Sculpture, Wilbur, Austyn Taylor

Austyn Taylor

Sculpture - 35.5 x 31.5 x 16.5 cm Sculpture - 14 x 12.4 x 6.5 inch

$5,225

Sculpture, (star), Blake Jones

Blake Jones

Sculpture - 22.9 x 13.3 x 11.4 cm Sculpture - 9 x 5.2 x 4.5 inch

$3,038

Sculpture, Voltige, Max ArtLouis

Max ArtLouis

Sculpture - 55 x 33 x 33 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 13 x 13 inch

$2,673

Sculpture, Tattoo dog, Art By Son

Art By Son

Sculpture - 80 x 115 x 40 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 45.3 x 15.7 inch

$4,800

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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.