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
Claude Viseux
Efi Mashiah
Small Black Aston Martin Bullet
Efi Mashiah
Sculpture - 36.8 x 7.6 x 7.6 cm Sculpture - 14.5 x 3 x 3 inch
£373
Large White Rolls Royce
Efi Mashiah
Sculpture - 36.8 x 7.6 x 7.6 cm Sculpture - 14.5 x 3 x 3 inch
Sold
Arson
Bonbon Rose Candy Papillotte argent
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
£2,133
Bonbon Orange Candy Papillote argent
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
£2,133
Le Bonbon d'Arson 'Rouge'
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
£1,689
Jean-Louis Toutain
La virtuose
Jean-Louis Toutain
Sculpture - 77 x 39 x 39 cm Sculpture - 30.3 x 15.4 x 15.4 inch
£18,663
Lynn Chadwick
Rad Lad II (362)
Lynn Chadwick
Sculpture - 40 x 14 x 11.4 cm Sculpture - 15.75 x 5.5 x 4.5 inch
£91,224
Changzheng Zhu
Le coq 5
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0.4 inch
£81
Grand enroulement raku lanc
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 20 x 22 x 19 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 8.7 x 7.5 inch
£462
Nu de dos gris
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
£1,331 £1,132
Petit enroulement raku blanc
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 17 x 18 x 11 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 7.1 x 4.3 inch
£284
Nu de profil bleu 2
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0.4 inch
£81
Nu assis bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0.4 inch
£81
Le Globe
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0.1 inch
£81
Petit enroulement vert
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 16 x 19 x 15 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 7.5 x 5.9 inch
Sold
Rosette Bir
Brice Mounier
Jardin d'emeraude - Serie silk
Brice Mounier
Sculpture - 60 x 60 x 5 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 23.6 x 2 inch
£2,133
Vertigineuse Idylle
Brice Mounier
Painting - 100 x 100 x 11 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 4.3 inch
£4,888
"X.Ray" série Square
Brice Mounier
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
£2,844
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Le bal est fini
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 52 x 24 x 17 cm Sculpture - 20.5 x 9.4 x 6.7 inch
£5,155
Salamba Cabaret
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 45 x 32 x 17 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 12.6 x 6.7 inch
£1,644
Le triangle parfait
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 25 x 22 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 8.7 x 4.7 inch
£1,324
Salamba bleu Outre-mer
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 45 x 32 x 17 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 12.6 x 6.7 inch
£1,644
Songe
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 11 x 60 x 18 cm Sculpture - 4.3 x 23.6 x 7.1 inch
£1,733
Le Triangle Parfait
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 12 x 25 x 22 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 9.8 x 8.7 inch
£3,466
La danseuse
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 15 x 31 x 11 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 12.2 x 4.3 inch
£3,333
Torsion
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 14 x 58 x 20 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 22.8 x 7.9 inch
£2,213
Francis Coffinet
La nuit triangulaire
Francis Coffinet
Photography - 44 x 23 x 1 cm Photography - 17.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inch
£1,689
Peter Keizer
Look and look again
Peter Keizer
Painting - 170 x 170 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 66.9 x 1.2 inch
£11,464