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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, Adelpha, Juliette Clovis

Adelpha

Juliette Clovis

Sculpture - 34 x 34 x 27 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 13.4 x 10.6 inch

$5,791

Sculpture, Wooden Owl, Bordalo

Wooden Owl

Bordalo

Sculpture - 51 x 45 x 10 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 17.7 x 3.9 inch

$5,850

Sculpture, Obie I, Lieven Demunter

Obie I

Lieven Demunter

Sculpture - 25 x 90 x 21 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 35.4 x 8.3 inch

$3,451

Sculpture, Baboune, Marine De Soos

Baboune

Marine De Soos

Sculpture - 41 x 34 x 13.5 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 13.4 x 5.3 inch

$11,583

Sculpture, Boss Lion XXL, Yaniv Edery

Boss Lion XXL

Yaniv Edery

Sculpture - 210 x 130 x 100 cm Sculpture - 82.7 x 51.2 x 39.4 inch

$111,149

Sculpture, Hariette, Dirk De Keyzer

Hariette

Dirk De Keyzer

Sculpture - 84 x 20 x 30 cm Sculpture - 33.1 x 7.9 x 11.8 inch

$15,151

Sculpture, Papillon de nuit, Looki

Papillon de nuit

Looki

Sculpture - 24 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch

$322

Sculpture, Pelican, Zachariah Njobo

Pelican

Zachariah Njobo

Sculpture - 70 x 30 x 15 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 11.8 x 5.9 inch

$2,457

Sculpture, Grand panda jocker, Miko-R

Grand panda jocker

Miko-R

Sculpture - 60 x 50 x 50 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 19.7 x 19.7 inch

$3,451

Sculpture, Tortue, Jean Lemonnier

Tortue

Jean Lemonnier

Sculpture - 35 x 29 x 37 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 11.4 x 14.6 inch

$7,020

Sculpture, The way we love, PickWick

The way we love

PickWick

Sculpture - 34 x 10 x 13 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 3.9 x 5.1 inch

$468

Sculpture, U Ghjattu, PickWick

U Ghjattu

PickWick

Sculpture - 27 x 20 x 7 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 7.9 x 2.8 inch

$351 $175

Sculpture, U Cane, PickWick

U Cane

PickWick

Sculpture - 26 x 22 x 7 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 8.7 x 2.8 inch

$351

Sculpture, Autruche, Quentin Garel

Autruche

Quentin Garel

Sculpture - 47 x 25 x 43 cm Sculpture - 18.5 x 9.8 x 16.9 inch

$17,550

Sculpture, Dog Fellas, Art By Son

Dog Fellas

Art By Son

Sculpture - 136 x 40.5 x 51 cm Sculpture - 53.5 x 15.9 x 20.1 inch

$16,965

Sculpture, Bec Violon, Pascal Billard

Bec Violon

Pascal Billard

Sculpture - 35 x 36 x 18 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 14.2 x 7.1 inch

$1,030

Sculpture, Bec tiroir, Pascal Billard

Bec tiroir

Pascal Billard

Sculpture - 30 x 25 x 14 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 9.8 x 5.5 inch

$1,030

Sculpture, Masque 1, Alicia Coste

Masque 1

Alicia Coste

Sculpture - 37.5 x 26 x 2 cm Sculpture - 14.8 x 10.2 x 0.8 inch

$468

Sculpture, Fish, Edmore Chijumani

Fish

Edmore Chijumani

Sculpture - 28 x 68 x 13 cm Sculpture - 11 x 26.8 x 5.1 inch

$2,691

Sculpture, Suricates, Mauro Corda

Suricates

Mauro Corda

Sculpture - 135 x 44 x 44 cm Sculpture - 53.1 x 17.3 x 17.3 inch

$10,530

Sculpture, Pélican, Jean Amiel

Pélican

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 110 x 70 x 110 cm Sculpture - 43.3 x 27.6 x 43.3 inch

$10,413

Sculpture, Cheval volutes, Jean Amiel

Cheval volutes

Jean Amiel

Sculpture - 80 x 40 x 80 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 15.7 x 31.5 inch

$11,115

Sculpture, Notus, Anne Rabion

Notus

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 46 x 15 x 19 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 5.9 x 7.5 inch

$1,111

Sculpture, Chinook, Anne Rabion

Chinook

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 58 x 30 x 17 cm Sculpture - 22.8 x 11.8 x 6.7 inch

$1,638

Sculpture, Sister, Jürgen Lingl

Sister

Jürgen Lingl

Sculpture - 62 x 30 x 41 cm Sculpture - 24.4 x 11.8 x 16.1 inch

$17,316

Sculpture, Shadok Pietre, Flo Hombecq

Shadok Pietre

Flo Hombecq

Sculpture - 70 x 32 x 30 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 12.6 x 11.8 inch

$2,574

Sculpture, Panthère, Alain Derda

Panthère

Alain Derda

Sculpture - 140 x 45 x 25 cm Sculpture - 55.1 x 17.7 x 9.8 inch

$5,265

Sculpture, Panda Bamboo, Petra Dorst

Panda Bamboo

Petra Dorst

Sculpture - 70 x 40 x 40 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 15.7 x 15.7 inch

$15,795

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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 ?
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.