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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, Le saut, Yves Pires

Le saut

Yves Pires

Sculpture - 55 x 47 x 8 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 18.5 x 3.1 inch

€7,800

Sculpture, Wild Kong, Richard Orlinski

Wild Kong

Richard Orlinski

Sculpture - 30 x 23 x 12 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 9.1 x 4.7 inch

€4,800

Sculpture, Yonaguni, Micke

Yonaguni

Micke

Sculpture - 14 x 7 x 21 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 2.8 x 8.3 inch

€850

Sculpture, Roko, Micke

Roko

Micke

Sculpture - 19 x 14 x 20 cm Sculpture - 7.5 x 5.5 x 7.9 inch

€980

Sculpture, Predator, Zlatin Orlov

Predator

Zlatin Orlov

Sculpture - 22 x 47 x 16 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 18.5 x 6.3 inch

€2,650

Sculpture, Keith Dog Haring, PyB

Keith Dog Haring

PyB

Sculpture - 15 x 24 x 3 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 9.4 x 1.2 inch

€250

Sculpture, Dog haring basquiat, PyB

Dog haring basquiat

PyB

Sculpture - 17 x 25 x 6 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 9.8 x 2.4 inch

€250

Sculpture, Split Panther, Arun A.

Split Panther

Arun A.

Sculpture - 13 x 40 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 15.7 x 3 inch

€1,050

Sculpture, King Zebra, Angela Gomes

King Zebra

Angela Gomes

Sculpture - 32 x 20 x 45 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 7.9 x 17.7 inch

€4,950

Sculpture, Koko, Valerian Sioridzé

Koko

Valerian Sioridzé

Sculpture - 20 x 17 x 11 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 6.7 x 4.3 inch

€2,050

Sculpture, Wild Kong, Richard Orlinski

Wild Kong

Richard Orlinski

Sculpture - 52 x 40 x 23 cm Sculpture - 20.5 x 15.7 x 9.1 inch

€15,800

Sculpture, Mini Taureau (rouge), Gite

Mini Taureau (rouge)

Gite

Sculpture - 11 x 13 x 25 cm Sculpture - 4.3 x 5.1 x 9.8 inch

€390

Sculpture, La méduse, Philippe Rude

La méduse

Philippe Rude

Sculpture - 33 x 25 x 5 cm Sculpture - 13 x 9.8 x 2 inch

€1,880

Sculpture, La hase, Pierre Voituriez

La hase

Pierre Voituriez

Sculpture - 39 x 60 x 39 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 23.6 x 15.4 inch

€8,200

Sculpture, Dauphin, Christiane Guerry

Dauphin

Christiane Guerry

Sculpture - 50 x 64 x 28 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 25.2 x 11 inch

€1,280

Sculpture, Elephant, Yves Lohé

Elephant

Yves Lohé

Sculpture - 32 x 20 x 10 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 7.9 x 3.9 inch

€900

Sculpture, Lamb, Barry Davies

Lamb

Barry Davies

Sculpture - 20 x 36 x 23 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 14.2 x 9.1 inch

€4,733

Sculpture, Condor, Jean-No

Condor

Jean-No

Sculpture - 40 x 93 x 50 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 36.6 x 19.7 inch

€10,000

Sculpture, Alliance, Etienne

Alliance

Etienne

Sculpture - 105 x 98 x 8 cm Sculpture - 41.3 x 38.6 x 3.1 inch

€60,000

Sculpture, Yür, Saône De Stalh

Yür

Saône De Stalh

Sculpture - 38 x 33 x 12 cm Sculpture - 15 x 13 x 4.7 inch

€1,600

Sculpture, Naë, Saône De Stalh

Naë

Saône De Stalh

Sculpture - 33 x 37 x 11 cm Sculpture - 13 x 14.6 x 4.3 inch

€1,600

Sculpture, Centaur, Nona Gabrielyan

Centaur

Nona Gabrielyan

Sculpture - 16 x 16 x 8 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 6.3 x 3.1 inch

€900

Sculpture, Gorilla, Stefano Bombardieri

Gorilla

Stefano Bombardieri

Sculpture - 70 x 120 x 80 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 47.2 x 31.5 inch

€28,000

Sculpture, Dino n°2, Pierre Voituriez

Dino n°2

Pierre Voituriez

Sculpture - 34 x 25 x 20 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 9.8 x 7.9 inch

€3,200

Sculpture, Dino n°3, Pierre Voituriez

Dino n°3

Pierre Voituriez

Sculpture - 39 x 17 x 21 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 6.7 x 8.3 inch

€3,200

Sculpture, Sir John Balloons, Cévé

Sir John Balloons

Cévé

Sculpture - 160 x 42 x 57 cm Sculpture - 63 x 16.5 x 22.4 inch

€45,000

Sculpture, Sitelle, François Galoyer

Sitelle

François Galoyer

Sculpture - 12 x 17.5 x 7 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 6.9 x 2.8 inch

€2,800

Sculpture, La Louve, Réjane LeChat

La Louve

Réjane LeChat

Sculpture - 80 x 100 x 80 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 39.4 x 31.5 inch

€28,000

Sculpture, La mue du Papillon, Looki

La mue du Papillon

Looki

Sculpture - 25 x 15 x 10 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 5.9 x 3.9 inch

€350

Sculpture, Crapaud, François Galoyer

Crapaud

François Galoyer

Sculpture - 22.5 x 24 x 34 cm Sculpture - 8.9 x 9.4 x 13.4 inch

€9,500

Sculpture, Agape, Catherine Clare

Agape

Catherine Clare

Sculpture - 26 x 11 x 8 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 4.3 x 3.1 inch

€900

Sculpture, Bouquetin, Pierre Yermia

Bouquetin

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 62 x 37 x 16 cm Sculpture - 24.4 x 14.6 x 6.3 inch

€7,200

Sculpture, Cerf II, Pierre Yermia

Cerf II

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 83 x 39 x 24 cm Sculpture - 32.7 x 15.4 x 9.4 inch

€6,600

Sculpture, Gazelle VII, Pierre Yermia

Gazelle VII

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 68 x 35 x 20 cm Sculpture - 26.8 x 13.8 x 7.9 inch

€5,400

Sculpture, Félin VI, Pierre Yermia

Félin VI

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 29 x 83 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 32.7 x 5.9 inch

€8,300

Sculpture, Taureau VIII, Pierre Yermia

Taureau VIII

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 73 x 58 x 17 cm Sculpture - 28.7 x 22.8 x 6.7 inch

€7,450

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Discover the selection of our experts

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

€648

Print, Sans-titre, Max Ernst

Sans-titre

Max Ernst

Print - 38 x 28 cm Print - 15 x 11 inch

€650

Print, Paris verte, M.Chat

Paris verte

M.Chat

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

€350

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.