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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The Love of Pain (Pink and Silver)
Dan Baldwin
Sculpture - 25 x 18 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 7.1 inch
€4,081
Gorille Dos Argenté
Bernard Rebaudet
Sculpture - 24 x 30 x 35 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 11.8 x 13.8 inch
€11,500
Toro pierre valiente 3/3
Palolo Valdes
Sculpture - 65 x 50 x 30 cm Sculpture - 25.6 x 19.7 x 11.8 inch
€17,500
Le babouin sacré
Rembrandt Bugatti
Sculpture - 43 x 42 x 20 cm Sculpture - 16.9 x 16.5 x 7.9 inch
€7,200
Chien Rouge
Chantal Derderian-Christol
Sculpture - 50 x 40 x 35 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 15.7 x 13.8 inch
€1,800
Chouette assise
Madeleine Van der Knoop
Sculpture - 27 x 23 x 13 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 9.1 x 5.1 inch
€3,900
Listen to your heart
Dani Brogio
Sculpture - 78 x 25 x 30 cm Sculpture - 30.7 x 9.8 x 11.8 inch
€2,500
Ursus Aerus Major
Bart van Somers
Sculpture - 87 x 50 x 34 cm Sculpture - 34.3 x 19.7 x 13.4 inch
€24,500
Flying Dumbo blue 1/8
SA Candela
Sculpture - 100 x 35 x 35 cm Sculpture - 39.4 x 13.8 x 13.8 inch
€6,000
Azure Soul
Bill- William Larouche
Sculpture - 50.8 x 40.6 x 12.7 cm Sculpture - 20 x 16 x 5 inch
€1,985
Eulenmann - L’homme-hibou
Hans Mendler
Sculpture - 155 x 15 x 30 cm Sculpture - 61 x 5.9 x 11.8 inch
€4,900
Animalis Memoria
Lara Blanchard
Sculpture - 70 x 65 x 20 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 25.6 x 7.9 inch
€2,350
Elephant Clear Pink
Christopher Schulz
Sculpture - 13 x 17.8 x 9 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 7 x 3.5 inch
€1,900
Milarius Dogonarus
Michel Flamme
Sculpture - 48 x 26 x 30 cm Sculpture - 18.9 x 10.2 x 11.8 inch
€2,300
Sam #8 – Sculpture résine pop colorée
Laurence Chiche
Sculpture - 40 x 40 x 22 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.7 x 8.7 inch
€2,750
Lièvre à la déesse
Véronique Dominici
Sculpture - 40 x 39 x 20 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 15.4 x 7.9 inch
€1,200
Aigle sur globe
Brigitte Téman
Sculpture - 73 x 46 x 52 cm Sculpture - 28.7 x 18.1 x 20.5 inch
€22,800
Convergence animalière
Jean-Paul Jacquet
Sculpture - 40 x 70 x 15 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 27.6 x 5.9 inch
€1,400
Garden of Love
Tamara Bakhshinyan
Sculpture - 37 x 45 x 2 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
€490
DIP (white series)
Federico Alibrio
Sculpture - 25 x 33 x 10 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 13 x 3.9 inch
€200
Magritte Khan No16, c.
Kokopelli
Sculpture - 45 x 81 x 19 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 31.9 x 7.5 inch
€3,500
Troglodytes Mignons
Judith Devaux
Sculpture - 11.5 x 29 x 11 cm Sculpture - 4.5 x 11.4 x 4.3 inch
€2,700
Cheval soleil - Sculpture équestre ferronnerie sur peuplier
Pierre Conte
Sculpture - 23 x 43 x 11 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 16.9 x 4.3 inch
€225
Unity Blooming Bear
Juliana Berdugo
Sculpture - 53 x 33 x 23 cm Sculpture - 20.9 x 13 x 9.1 inch
€6,200
Gorille assis
Jean-Baptiste Vendamme
Sculpture - 34 x 49 x 20 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 19.3 x 7.9 inch
€9,300
Vache couchée I
François-Xavier Lalanne
Sculpture - 16 x 43 x 19.5 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 16.9 x 7.7 inch
€195,000
Eléphantasme organique
Anis Dargaa
Sculpture - 36 x 29 x 12 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 11.4 x 4.7 inch
€18,000
Lion d'Afrique
Gilbert Sacchetti
Sculpture - 35 x 68 x 40 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 26.8 x 15.7 inch
€20,000
Tropical Toucan
Xavier Wttrwulghe
Sculpture - 25 x 17 x 20 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 6.7 x 7.9 inch
€1,500
Alice aux pays des merveilles
Nobody
Sculpture - 21 x 11 x 6 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 4.3 x 2.4 inch
€100
Love Louve Camille (gauche, droite)
Jean-Robert Drouillard
Sculpture - 34 x 7.5 x 9 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 3 x 3.5 inch
€7,048
Taureau bronze
Jérôme Radigois
Sculpture - 35 x 80 x 27 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 31.5 x 10.6 inch
€18,000
Cluster in Morpho (Small)
Daniel Byrne
Sculpture - 54 x 54 x 10 cm Sculpture - 21.3 x 21.3 x 3.9 inch
€4,206
Bestiario de cartró II
Pere Bennàssar Obrador
Sculpture - 100 x 50 x 90 cm Sculpture - 39.4 x 19.7 x 35.4 inch
€3,750
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Kong Christmas 2024 Gold edition
Richard Orlinski
Design - 19 x 13.5 x 7 cm Design - 7.5 x 5.3 x 2.8 inch
€510
Standing Wild Bear
Richard Orlinski
Sculpture - 80 x 52 x 58 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 20.5 x 22.8 inch
€78,000
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.