
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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Otras Aves enamoradas
Aramis Justiz
Sculpture - 39 x 40 x 33 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 15.7 x 13 inch
€1,500


Le chien cheval
Jean-Paul Jacquet
Sculpture - 30 x 55 x 17 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 21.7 x 6.7 inch
€1,200

Red cloned poudel
William Sweetlove
Sculpture - 102 x 50 x 50 cm Sculpture - 40.2 x 19.7 x 19.7 inch
€1,800


Couple de rhinocéros
Philippe Pasqua
Sculpture - 70 x 100 x 30 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 39.4 x 11.8 inch
€70,000


Vanité (crâne aux paillons)
Philippe Pasqua
Sculpture - 25 x 25 x 20 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 9.8 x 7.9 inch
€25,000



Poule Matoutou
César Baldaccini
Sculpture - 36 x 34 x 42 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 13.4 x 16.5 inch
€65,000

Animal imaginaire I
Thomas Lévy
Sculpture - 28.5 x 42 x 25 cm Sculpture - 11.2 x 16.5 x 9.8 inch
€5,000




Temptation and Sin
Lyubka Kyrilova
Sculpture - 37 x 8 x 10 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 3.1 x 3.9 inch
€1,762



Le Rhino danseur Fuchsia X-Treme
Xavier Wttrwulghe
Sculpture - 75 x 35 x 50 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 13.8 x 19.7 inch
€7,900


UrbanCat Porcelain edition
Hiro Ando
Sculpture - 21 x 12 x 10 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 4.7 x 3.9 inch
€2,400




Bestiario de cartró I
Pere Bennàssar Obrador
Sculpture - 115 x 60 x 80 cm Sculpture - 45.3 x 23.6 x 31.5 inch
€3,750


Animal imaginaire II
Thomas Lévy
Sculpture - 32 x 41.5 x 23 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 16.3 x 9.1 inch
€5,000




Le verrat (cochon mâle)
Damien Colcombet
Sculpture - 16.5 x 11 x 32 cm Sculpture - 6.5 x 4.3 x 12.6 inch
€3,200




Lady - horse metamorphosys
Lyubka Kyrilova
Sculpture - 43 x 36 x 13 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 14.2 x 5.1 inch
€8,069



Don't stop running horses
Dana Widawski
Sculpture - 20.1 x 29 x 12.7 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 11.4 x 5 inch
€5,600




Tête de chèvre
Perrine Le Bars
Sculpture - 34 x 26 x 20 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 10.2 x 7.9 inch
€5,500





Puma allongé EA IV/IV
Jean-François Gambino
Sculpture - 80 x 75 x 75 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 29.5 x 29.5 inch
€28,000


End of The Chase
Nicholas Crombach
Sculpture - 50.8 x 45.7 x 147.3 cm Sculpture - 20 x 18 x 58 inch
€13,200

Tête de Cheval I
Christophe Charbonnel
Sculpture - 29.2 x 15.2 x 33 cm Sculpture - 11.5 x 6 x 13 inch
€11,500

Tête de jeune Orang-Outan EA IV/IV
Jean-François Gambino
Sculpture - 21 x 14 x 15 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 5.5 x 5.9 inch
€3,500


El tigre y las cabras con retrete /le tigre et les chèvres avec toilettes
Julio Alonso Yañez
Sculpture - 23 x 22 x 18 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 8.7 x 7.1 inch
€900




Alter Ego Token Cane
Alessandro Piano
Sculpture - 24.5 x 14 x 9.5 cm Sculpture - 9.6 x 5.5 x 3.7 inch
€400


L’Ours Pompon édition Yves Klein - Épreuve d'Artiste + édition papier
François Pompon et Yves Klein
Sculpture - 27 x 49 x 19 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 19.3 x 7.5 inch
€12,500


Luxury Speed Snail Ferrari
Martin de Noir
Sculpture - 31 x 38 x 19 cm Sculpture - 12.2 x 15 x 7.5 inch
€1,190

2020 n°5/8
Jean-François Gambino
Sculpture - 38 x 90 x 34 cm Sculpture - 15 x 35.4 x 13.4 inch
€25,000

Dunes n°4/8
Jean-François Gambino
Sculpture - 30 x 45 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 17.7 x 7.9 inch
€10,000


Taureau aluminium (1)
Jérôme Radigois
Sculpture - 35 x 80 x 27 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 31.5 x 10.6 inch
€7,000

Les Vagues et l'âme
Gaël Rouxeville
Sculpture - 33 x 35 x 11 cm Sculpture - 13 x 13.8 x 4.3 inch
€900

Carlin
Jean-Michel Pradel-Fraysse
Sculpture - 35 x 49 x 25 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 19.3 x 9.8 inch
€9,500

Olé Olé Big Bull
Bernard Rives
Sculpture - 270 x 210 x 70 cm Sculpture - 106.3 x 82.7 x 27.6 inch
€29,000








Roll Over, Play Dead!
Ruben Mols
Sculpture - 90 x 70 x 4 cm Sculpture - 35.4 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch
€2,200

Babolex X Snoop Dog
Vincent Faudemer
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 15 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 5.9 inch
€1,000


Follow your dreams
Diederik Van Apple
Sculpture - 24 x 13 x 13 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 5.1 x 5.1 inch
€199


Rhino danseur Graffiti
Xavier Wttrwulghe
Sculpture - 60 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
€3,800

Life is a bubble
Diederik Van Apple
Sculpture - 24 x 13 x 13 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 5.1 x 5.1 inch
€199


Le Rhino danseur Apple green
Xavier Wttrwulghe
Sculpture - 60 x 25 x 25 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 9.8 x 9.8 inch
€3,800

Grand hippopotame
Damien Colcombet
Sculpture - 20 x 15 x 42 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 5.9 x 16.5 inch
€7,800

Italian Greyhound on Bark
Anne Juliette Deschamps
Sculpture - 29 x 18 x 61 cm Sculpture - 11.4 x 7.1 x 24 inch
€4,000




Le Même Allant
François Vandenberghe
Sculpture - 26 x 25 x 60 cm Sculpture - 10.2 x 9.8 x 23.6 inch
€13,800

Dhibka
François Vandenberghe
Sculpture - 50 x 29 x 26 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 11.4 x 10.2 inch
€13,800

Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
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.
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.
Jeff Koons' Rabbit series consists of three stainless steel animal sculptures.