Sculptors
A sculptor is someone who creates sculptures. The broad term 'sculptor' does not only apply to artists, it can also be used in non-artistic contexts. For example, it may refer to someone working on a restoration site or creating replicas of existing sculptures. For a sculptor to also be defined as an artist, there needs to be a sense of artistic intention behind the objects they create. This person can be a professional or an amateur.
Sculpture is considered a major artistic discipline in the same way as painting. Some sculptors only work in the medium of sculpture while other artists have a multidisciplinary approach.
A sculptor seeks to create three-dimensional shapes out of one or several media. Sculptors can choose from a variety of materials for their sculptures. Some of the most frequently used media include stone (marble, granite etc), concrete, cement, wood and clay (which is used to create terracotta sculptures). Artists can also use metal to create sculptures, bronze has historically been the most commonly used but nowadays, sculptors can also choose aluminum or even steel.
Contemporary practices and technical developments have led to a growing diversity of materials being available for sculptors to use. Contemporary sculpture therefore uses a wider range of materials than modern sculpture did. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see artworks made of resin, glass or a combination of several different materials. Artists may also use new technologies such as 3D printers to help them create works.
Over the course of the history of sculpture, there have been a many different types of sculptures and artists have developed numerous techniques for creating three dimensional works.
In relief sculpture, the sculpted form stays attached to the background made of the same material. If the carving is shallow then the work is referred to as a bas-relief. If there is some undercutting and more of 50% of the depth is shown, the work is sculptured in high relief.
If a sculpture is described as in the round or free-standing, it means that the work is detached from the background, in the majority of cases this means that the viewer to walk around it and admire it from all angles.
A key basic distinction is sculpture is the contrast between modeling and carving. Modeling is an additive technique which creates forms by adding more material. This is more flexible for sculptors as they can generally add or subtract the material as they please, for example as they would when using clay. Carving is a subtractive method; the sculptor removes material from a solid block of material, for example wood or marble, to reveal the desired shape.
Some of the greatest artists in the history of sculpture include: Michelangelo, Antoine-Louis Barye, Rembrandt Bugatti, Camille Claudel, Auguste Rodin, Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Cesar, Arman, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Kiefer, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Orlinski and Christophe Charbonnel.
Discover the styles & movements
Boshra Mustafa
Untitled 4
Boshra Mustafa
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 25 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.6 inch
£581
Untitled 9
Boshra Mustafa
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 28 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 11 x 0.6 inch
£498
Untitled 5
Boshra Mustafa
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 27 x 1.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 10.6 x 0.6 inch
£498
Hayvon
Catherine Clare
Couple d'aras rouges du Costa Rica
Catherine Clare
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£1,422
Pie bleue de l'Himalaya
Catherine Clare
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
£711
Toucans, colibris du Costa Rica
Catherine Clare
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
£1,333 £1,200
Le mystérieux feu du renard roux
Catherine Clare
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
£578
"Pura Vida" , Vie pure, abstraction inspirée de Joan Miró
Catherine Clare
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 1 inch
£1,155
Laurent Lamarche
Drichro in Vitro
Laurent Lamarche
Sculpture - 32 x 15 x 15 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 5.9 x 5.9 inch
£1,659
Dana Widawski
Broken flower No. 1
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 30 x 16.3 x 11.7 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 6.4 x 4.6 inch
£4,799
Broken flower no. 5
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 26.9 x 10.2 x 9.9 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 4 x 3.9 inch
£4,799
Broken flower no. 2
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 34.5 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm Sculpture - 13.6 x 5 x 5 inch
£4,799
Cancelled Culture No. 3
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 27.9 x 12.7 x 16 cm Sculpture - 11 x 5 x 6.3 inch
£4,444
Cancelled Culture No. 1
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 23.9 x 14.5 x 17 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 5.7 x 6.7 inch
£4,444
Cancelled Culture No. 4
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 20.1 x 32 x 20.1 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 12.6 x 7.9 inch
£4,444
Clemens Wolf
Set of 9 line drawing B&W
Clemens Wolf
Fine Art Drawings - 223.8 x 178.8 x 3.8 cm Fine Art Drawings - 88.1 x 70.4 x 1.5 inch
£16,180
Black Expanded Metal Tile.
Clemens Wolf
Sculpture - 176.8 x 87.9 x 5.8 cm Sculpture - 69.6 x 34.6 x 2.3 inch
£8,293
Blue and White II. Expanded Metal Painting
Clemens Wolf
Painting - 69.9 x 49.8 x 1.8 cm Painting - 27.5 x 19.6 x 0.7 inch
£3,151
Expanded metal painting, Red and Black II
Clemens Wolf
Painting - 69.9 x 49.8 x 1.8 cm Painting - 27.5 x 19.6 x 0.7 inch
£3,151
Neon I, Line Drawing. Abstract Works on Paper
Clemens Wolf
Fine Art Drawings - 50.3 x 65.3 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.8 x 25.7 x 0.1 inch
£3,151
Line drawing neon 2
Clemens Wolf
Fine Art Drawings - 50.3 x 65.3 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.8 x 25.7 x 0.1 inch
£3,151
William Mountgoaten
Der Schrei
William Mountgoaten
Sculpture - 120 x 70 x 30 cm Sculpture - 47.2 x 27.6 x 11.8 inch
£4,355
Mary Heredia
Ohad Ben-Ayala
Bronze Masque (Firenze)
Ohad Ben-Ayala
Sculpture - 24 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch
£3,288
Paleolithic Bronze Figurine
Ohad Ben-Ayala
Sculpture - 23 x 10 x 6 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 inch
£2,177
Sabrina Seck
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Fire
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 74.9 x 65 x 2.5 cm Painting - 29.5 x 25.6 x 1 inch
£1,659
Tool in Blue
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Sculpture - 66 x 66 x 5.1 cm Sculpture - 26 x 26 x 2 inch
£1,493
Composición con Herramientas. Triptych
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 40.6 x 88.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 16 x 35 x 1 inch
£1,327
Hue, Saturation and Lightness, Painting wall installations.
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 129.8 x 38.9 x 2.8 cm Painting - 51.1 x 15.3 x 1.1 inch
£1,493
Red tone cube in human scale
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 167.6 x 78.7 x 5.1 cm Painting - 66 x 31 x 2 inch
£1,659
Blue tone cube
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 48.3 x 38.1 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19 x 15 x 0.1 inch
£829
Untitled
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 30 x 25 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
£581
Barack Obama and a comic who has ice cream on his head
Jose Ricardo Contreras Gonzalez
Painting - 50 x 40 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
£829
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Assembler Violeta N°1
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 8 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 3.1 inch
£829
Assembler Naranja N°3
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 9 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 3.5 inch
£829
Assembler Naranja N°1
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 8 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 3.1 inch
£829
Assembler Naranja N°2
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 9 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 3.5 inch
£829
Trebol Indigo
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 43 x 43 x 14 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 16.9 x 5.5 inch
£829
Assembler Naranja N°4.
Fanny Finkelman Szyller
Sculpture - 36 x 36 x 5 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 14.2 x 2 inch
£829