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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, Lièvre II, Jean Amiel

Lièvre II

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 11 x 12 x 10 cm Sculpture - 4.3 x 4.7 x 3.9 inch

$877

Sculpture, Masque 4, Alicia Coste

Masque 4

Alicia Coste

Sculpture - 45.7 x 35.5 x 2 cm Sculpture - 18 x 14 x 0.8 inch

$585

Sculpture, Le merle, Sébastien Kito

Le merle

Sébastien Kito

Sculpture - 23 x 29 x 11 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 11.4 x 4.3 inch

$702

Sculpture, Leaping Panther, Arun A.

Leaping Panther

Arun A.

Sculpture - 42 x 22 x 26 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 8.7 x 10.2 inch

$877

Sculpture, Gold Jelly, Max ArtLouis

Gold Jelly

Max ArtLouis

Sculpture - 33 x 33 x 38 cm Sculpture - 13 x 13 x 15 inch

$819

Sculpture, Taureau Noir, Gite

Taureau Noir

Gite

Sculpture - 23 x 37 x 24 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 14.6 x 9.4 inch

$1,462

Sculpture, Scie-lames, Patopalomo

Scie-lames

Patopalomo

Sculpture - 37 x 33 x 50 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 13 x 19.7 inch

$1,053

Sculpture, Buffle noir, William Byl

Buffle noir

William Byl

Sculpture - 37.5 x 40 x 10 cm Sculpture - 14.8 x 15.7 x 3.9 inch

$2,328

Sculpture, Two dogs, Oliver Zabel

Two dogs

Oliver Zabel

Sculpture - 15 x 21 x 3 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 8.3 x 1.2 inch

$702

Sculpture, Chat, Ivan Theimer

Chat

Ivan Theimer

Sculpture - 51.5 x 38 x 11.5 cm Sculpture - 20.3 x 15 x 4.5 inch

$39,780

Sculpture, Envol V, Pierre Yermia

Envol V

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 37 x 33 x 26 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 13 x 10.2 inch

$3,510

Sculpture, Reposando, Rodo Padilla

Reposando

Rodo Padilla

Sculpture - 30 x 27 x 12 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 10.6 x 4.7 inch

$4,446

Sculpture, Boxing Kangoo, Corner PLR

Boxing Kangoo

Corner PLR

Sculpture - 30 x 36 x 14 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 14.2 x 5.5 inch

$924

Sculpture, Le chat, Corneille

Le chat

Corneille

Sculpture - 105 x 100 x 18 cm Sculpture - 41.3 x 39.4 x 7.1 inch

$43,056

Sculpture, Crystal Swan, Soren Lyris

Crystal Swan

Soren Lyris

Sculpture - 7 x 9 x 6 cm Sculpture - 2.8 x 3.5 x 2.4 inch

$974

Sculpture, Panthère, Zenoy

Panthère

Zenoy

Sculpture - 100 x 70 x 30 cm Sculpture - 39.4 x 27.6 x 11.8 inch

$4,680

Sculpture, Tête de lion, Ronceval

Tête de lion

Ronceval

Sculpture - 23 x 21 x 14 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 8.3 x 5.5 inch

$2,164

Sculpture, Proud Horse, Inav A. Panov

Proud Horse

Inav A. Panov

Sculpture - 34 x 34 x 11 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 13.4 x 4.3 inch

$1,052

Sculpture, Scalaire, Joëlle Darmon

Scalaire

Joëlle Darmon

Sculpture - 38 x 33 x 3 cm Sculpture - 15 x 13 x 1.2 inch

$1,849

Sculpture, Ours rouge, Danu

Ours rouge

Danu

Sculpture - 51 x 69 x 19 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 27.2 x 7.5 inch

$1,755

Sculpture, Hippo, Olivia Moélo

Hippo

Olivia Moélo

Sculpture - 33 x 5.5 x 15 cm Sculpture - 13 x 2.2 x 5.9 inch

$1,755

Sculpture, Jagoanku, Kusbudiyanto

Jagoanku

Kusbudiyanto

Sculpture - 75 x 70 x 30 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 27.6 x 11.8 inch

$2,574

Sculpture, Monkey, Denko

Monkey

Denko

Sculpture - 20 x 10 x 0.7 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 3.9 x 0.3 inch

$690

Sculpture, Levrier 3C, Patrick Lang

Levrier 3C

Patrick Lang

Sculpture - 32 x 15 x 10 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 5.9 x 3.9 inch

$7,371

Sculpture, Bronze Bruce, Ben Koracevic

Bronze Bruce

Ben Koracevic

Sculpture - 65 x 39 x 31 cm Sculpture - 25.6 x 15.4 x 12.2 inch

$16,965

Sculpture, Geai, Marie Baslé

Geai

Marie Baslé

Sculpture - 23 x 11 x 11 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 4.3 x 4.3 inch

$819

Sculpture, Shark, XBO Art

Shark

XBO Art

Sculpture - 41 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$1,462

Sculpture, Mother, Ron Zohar

Mother

Ron Zohar

Sculpture - 48 x 40 x 40 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$9,828

Sculpture, Bohême, K-OD

Bohême

K-OD

Sculpture - 42 x 42 x 32 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 16.5 x 12.6 inch

$994

Sculpture, Doberman, Phantom Art

Doberman

Phantom Art

Sculpture - 135 x 70 x 154 cm Sculpture - 53.1 x 27.6 x 60.6 inch

$4,095

Sculpture, Noel, ByLuka

Noel

ByLuka

Sculpture - 60 x 30 x 60 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 11.8 x 23.6 inch

$2,293

Sculpture, Aam, Saône De Stalh

Aam

Saône De Stalh

Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 12 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 4.7 inch

$1,872

Sculpture, Untitled, Martí Rom

Untitled

Martí Rom

Sculpture - 32 x 50 x 15 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 19.7 x 5.9 inch

$1,755

Sculpture, Cheval, Thierry Pelletier

Cheval

Thierry Pelletier

Sculpture - 43 x 30 x 17 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 11.8 x 6.7 inch

$5,265

Sculpture, Four Birds, Victor Delfin

Four Birds

Victor Delfin

Sculpture - 184.2 x 259.1 x 2.5 cm Sculpture - 72.5 x 102 x 1 inch

$7,500

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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

$758

Print, Paris verte, M.Chat

Paris verte

M.Chat

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

$409

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.