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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, Catimini 6/8, Bernard Vié

Catimini 6/8

Bernard Vié

Sculpture - 58 x 33 x 11 cm Sculpture - 22.8 x 13 x 4.3 inch

$4,530

Sculpture, Le quadrige, Bernard Vié

Le quadrige

Bernard Vié

Sculpture - 24 x 33 x 15 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 13 x 5.9 inch

$4,769

Sculpture, Cheval XIII, Pierre Yermia

Cheval XIII

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 49 x 52 x 17 cm Sculpture - 19.3 x 20.5 x 6.7 inch

$5,603

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

$1,072

Sculpture, Pink Fly flamant, Spaco

Pink Fly flamant

Spaco

Sculpture - 26 x 17 x 10 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 6.7 x 3.9 inch

$322

Sculpture, Pampero, Anne Rabion

Pampero

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 17 x 16 x 16 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 6.3 x 6.3 inch

$954

Sculpture, Is It Mine, Wenqin Chen

Is It Mine

Wenqin Chen

Sculpture - 38 x 41 x 37 cm Sculpture - 15 x 16.1 x 14.6 inch

$9,299

Sculpture, Cavalier, Ousmane Dermé

Cavalier

Ousmane Dermé

Sculpture - 44 x 48 x 16 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 18.9 x 6.3 inch

$7,034

Sculpture, Cheetah, Patrick Villas

Cheetah

Patrick Villas

Sculpture - 98 x 130 x 35 cm Sculpture - 38.6 x 51.2 x 13.8 inch

$47,685

Sculpture, Golden little Panda, Miko-R

Golden little Panda

Miko-R

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

$2,027

Sculpture, Brutus, Lolek

Brutus

Lolek

Sculpture - 90 x 120 x 65 cm Sculpture - 35.4 x 47.2 x 25.6 inch

$42,917

Sculpture, Grand Django, Lolek

Grand Django

Lolek

Sculpture - 56 x 47 x 54 cm Sculpture - 22 x 18.5 x 21.3 inch

$14,186

Sculpture, Grand joyeux, Lolek

Grand joyeux

Lolek

Sculpture - 72 x 69 x 27 cm Sculpture - 28.3 x 27.2 x 10.6 inch

$14,186

Sculpture, Maître chat, Lolek

Maître chat

Lolek

Sculpture - 55 x 65 x 39 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 25.6 x 15.4 inch

$11,683

Sculpture, Grand Funky, Lolek

Grand Funky

Lolek

Sculpture - 32.5 x 55 x 23 cm Sculpture - 12.8 x 21.7 x 9.1 inch

$8,226

Sculpture, Cha'zen, Lolek

Cha'zen

Lolek

Sculpture - 47 x 37 x 39 cm Sculpture - 18.5 x 14.6 x 15.4 inch

$9,299

Sculpture, Grand teckel, Lolek

Grand teckel

Lolek

Sculpture - 33 x 57 x 21 cm Sculpture - 13 x 22.4 x 8.3 inch

$8,226

Sculpture, Cha'moureux, Lolek

Cha'moureux

Lolek

Sculpture - 68 x 49 x 19 cm Sculpture - 26.8 x 19.3 x 7.5 inch

$8,226

Sculpture, Grand Cha'mignon, Lolek

Grand Cha'mignon

Lolek

Sculpture - 57 x 40 x 18 cm Sculpture - 22.4 x 15.7 x 7.1 inch

$6,437

Sculpture, Teddy stone, Looki

Teddy stone

Looki

Sculpture - 44 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 17.3 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$3,457

Sculpture, Esprit, Etienne

Esprit

Etienne

Sculpture - 22 x 13 x 7 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 5.1 x 2.8 inch

$6,521

Sculpture, Le Padda rugbyman, Dotty

Le Padda rugbyman

Dotty

Sculpture - 23 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch

$2,861

Sculpture, Rider, Petar Iliev

Rider

Petar Iliev

Sculpture - 24.5 x 28 x 8 cm Sculpture - 9.6 x 11 x 3.1 inch

$2,503

Sculpture, Guerrero, Gite

Guerrero

Gite

Sculpture - 23 x 35 x 24 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 13.8 x 9.4 inch

$1,609

Sculpture, Resting Fox, Viktor Zuk

Resting Fox

Viktor Zuk

Sculpture - 12 x 29 x 9 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 11.4 x 3.5 inch

$356

Sculpture, Âne, Omar Aoufia

Âne

Omar Aoufia

Sculpture - 144 x 110 x 203 cm Sculpture - 56.7 x 43.3 x 79.9 inch

$3,420

Sculpture, Chien mal poli, Jean Amiel

Chien mal poli

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 12 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch

$1,287

Sculpture, Ça gratte !, Jean Amiel

Ça gratte !

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 12 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$1,287

Sculpture, Petit ours, Jean Amiel

Petit ours

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 9 x 15 x 10 cm Sculpture - 3.5 x 5.9 x 3.9 inch

$2,003

Sculpture, Piterak, Anne Rabion

Piterak

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 23 x 10 x 9 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 3.9 x 3.5 inch

$834

Sculpture, Horse, Arun A.

Horse

Arun A.

Sculpture - 96 x 67 x 46 cm Sculpture - 37.8 x 26.4 x 18.1 inch

$2,861

Sculpture, Joker, Benjamin Pietri

Joker

Benjamin Pietri

Sculpture - 26 x 19.5 x 5.5 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 7.7 x 2.2 inch

$715

Sculpture, R2-D2, Benjamin Pietri

R2-D2

Benjamin Pietri

Sculpture - 26 x 19.5 x 5.5 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 7.7 x 2.2 inch

$715

Sculpture, Boba Fett, Benjamin Pietri

Boba Fett

Benjamin Pietri

Sculpture - 19.5 x 26 x 5.5 cm Sculpture - 7.7 x 10.2 x 2.2 inch

$715

Sculpture, Hippo, Olivia Moélo

Hippo

Olivia Moélo

Sculpture - 35 x 6 x 14 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 2.4 x 5.5 inch

$6,199

Sculpture, Hippo, Olivia Moélo

Hippo

Olivia Moélo

Sculpture - 300 x 120 x 51 cm Sculpture - 118.1 x 47.2 x 20.1 inch

$113,252

Sculpture, Mini Rhino Rouge, Gite

Mini Rhino Rouge

Gite

Sculpture - 14 x 24 x 10 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 9.4 x 3.9 inch

$465

Sculpture, Mini Rhino Métal, Gite

Mini Rhino Métal

Gite

Sculpture - 14 x 24 x 10 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 9.4 x 3.9 inch

$465

Sculpture, Banksy Rat, PyB

Banksy Rat

PyB

Sculpture - 27 x 27 x 6 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.6 x 2.4 inch

$298

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Discover the styles & movements

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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

$772

Print, Paris verte, M.Chat

Paris verte

M.Chat

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

$417

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.