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
Arson
Bonbon Rose Candy Papillotte argent
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
$2,664
Bonbon Orange Candy Papillote argent
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
$2,664
Le Bonbon d'Arson 'Rouge'
Arson
Sculpture - 60 x 17 x 14 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 6.7 x 5.5 inch
$2,109
MissMe
Be Pretty Powerful (Hand-finished large format) pe
MissMe
Print - 80.3 x 61 x 0.3 cm Print - 31.6 x 24 x 0.1 inch
Sold
Stan Wysocki
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
$23,309
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
$110,000
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
$101
Corps ovale sur fond rouge
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$888
Grand enroulement raku lanc
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 20 x 22 x 19 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 8.7 x 7.5 inch
$466
Petit enroulement raku blanc
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 17 x 18 x 11 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 7.1 x 4.3 inch
$244
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
$101
Nu assis bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0.4 inch
$101
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
$2,664
Vertigineuse Idylle
Brice Mounier
Painting - 100 x 100 x 11 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 4.3 inch
$6,105
"X.Ray" série Square
Brice Mounier
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$3,552
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Le triangle parfait
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 25 x 22 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 8.7 x 4.7 inch
$1,654
Salamba Cabaret
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 45 x 32 x 17 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 12.6 x 6.7 inch
$2,053
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
$2,053
Songe
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 11 x 60 x 18 cm Sculpture - 4.3 x 23.6 x 7.1 inch
$2,164
Le Triangle Parfait
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 12 x 25 x 22 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 9.8 x 8.7 inch
$4,329
La danseuse
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 15 x 31 x 11 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 12.2 x 4.3 inch
$4,162
La Vie
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 50 x 40 x 30 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 15.7 x 11.8 inch
$6,438
Torsion
Merry Kerpitchian (Merry K)
Sculpture - 14 x 58 x 20 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 22.8 x 7.9 inch
$2,764
Francis Coffinet
Visage contre visage
Francis Coffinet
Sculpture - 35 x 24 x 2 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,442
Andrii Davydenko
Two Blue Avocados
Andrii Davydenko
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,665
Portrait in Stone
Andrii Davydenko
Sculpture - 75 x 75 x 3 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 29.5 x 1.2 inch
$3,996
Pressing Your Eyeballs
Andrii Davydenko
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,665