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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, Promontory, Sophie Verger

Promontory

Sophie Verger

Sculpture - 65 x 28 x 34 cm Sculpture - 25.6 x 11 x 13.4 inch

$11,583

Sculpture, Four pizzlys, Sophie Verger

Four pizzlys

Sophie Verger

Sculpture - 111 x 23 x 25 cm Sculpture - 43.7 x 9.1 x 9.8 inch

$13,104

Sculpture, Les Nurses, Sophie Verger

Les Nurses

Sophie Verger

Sculpture - 37 x 57 x 19 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 22.4 x 7.5 inch

$9,243

Sculpture, Cha'pollon, Lolek

Cha'pollon

Lolek

Sculpture - 26 x 24 x 11 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 9.4 x 4.3 inch

$2,434

Sculpture, Fashion bear XXL, Ghost Art

Fashion bear XXL

Ghost Art

Sculpture - 150 x 90 x 50 cm Sculpture - 59.1 x 35.4 x 19.7 inch

$11,115

Sculpture, King gorilla, Spaco

King gorilla

Spaco

Sculpture - 21 x 15 x 11 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 5.9 x 4.3 inch

$328

Sculpture, Piaf doré, Valerie Marty

Piaf doré

Valerie Marty

Sculpture - 18 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture - 7.1 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch

$339

Sculpture, Love Sharks, Bernard Rives

Love Sharks

Bernard Rives

Sculpture - 42 x 67 x 30 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 26.4 x 11.8 inch

$10,296

Sculpture, Ourson Chanel, S2Bart

Ourson Chanel

S2Bart

Sculpture - 30 x 38 x 16 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 15 x 6.3 inch

$456

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

$316

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

$2,808

Sculpture, Baleine, Christiane Guerry

Baleine

Christiane Guerry

Sculpture - 30 x 50 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 19.7 x 5.9 inch

$807

Sculpture, Bitxi, Pascal Billard

Bitxi

Pascal Billard

Sculpture - 35 x 29 x 12 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 11.4 x 4.7 inch

$924

Sculpture, Cornus, Pascal Billard

Cornus

Pascal Billard

Sculpture - 35 x 11 x 16 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 4.3 x 6.3 inch

$924

Sculpture, Two legs, Lieven D'Haese

Two legs

Lieven D'Haese

Sculpture - 46 x 33 x 14 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 13 x 5.5 inch

$4,610

Sculpture, L’oiseau, Vincent Ochs

L’oiseau

Vincent Ochs

Sculpture - 60 x 28 x 19 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 11 x 7.5 inch

$1,474

Sculpture, Piaf Vert, Valerie Marty

Piaf Vert

Valerie Marty

Sculpture - 17 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$339

Sculpture, Lièvre III, Jean Amiel

Lièvre III

Jean Amiel

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

$877

Sculpture, Pampero, Anne Rabion

Pampero

Anne Rabion

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

$936

Sculpture, Buddies, Linde Ergo

Buddies

Linde Ergo

Sculpture - 69 x 80 x 33 cm Sculpture - 27.2 x 31.5 x 13 inch

$15,210

Sculpture, Petit panda Pink, Miko-R

Petit panda Pink

Miko-R

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

$2,223

Sculpture, Furry Love, Viktor Zuk

Furry Love

Viktor Zuk

Sculpture - 15 x 18 x 13 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 7.1 x 5.1 inch

$456

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

$702

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

$702

Sculpture, Hermes Bear XXL, Ghost Art

Hermes Bear XXL

Ghost Art

Sculpture - 150 x 90 x 50 cm Sculpture - 59.1 x 35.4 x 19.7 inch

$11,115

Sculpture, Fantasy Bird, Viktor Zuk

Fantasy Bird

Viktor Zuk

Sculpture - 32 x 26 x 9 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 10.2 x 3.5 inch

$328

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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

$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 ?
What is the most famous animal sculpture?

Some of the most famous animal sculptures in the world are Charging Bull by Arturo di Modica, The Last Three by Gillie and Marc Schattner, and Lions by Edward Kemeys. 

Who is the most famous animal sculptor?

The most famous sculptors who produced animal sculptures include Edward Kemeys, who is credited as being the first animal sculptor (animalier) in America, and Antoine-Louis Barye, a French Romantic sculptor who lived during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

What is Jeff Koons rabbit made of?

Jeff Koons' Rabbit series consists of three stainless steel animal sculptures.