Sculptors
A sculptor is someone who creates sculptures. The broad term 'sculptor' does not only apply to artists, it can also be used in non-artistic contexts. For example, it may refer to someone working on a restoration site or creating replicas of existing sculptures. For a sculptor to also be defined as an artist, there needs to be a sense of artistic intention behind the objects they create. This person can be a professional or an amateur.
Sculpture is considered a major artistic discipline in the same way as painting. Some sculptors only work in the medium of sculpture while other artists have a multidisciplinary approach.
A sculptor seeks to create three-dimensional shapes out of one or several media. Sculptors can choose from a variety of materials for their sculptures. Some of the most frequently used media include stone (marble, granite etc), concrete, cement, wood and clay (which is used to create terracotta sculptures). Artists can also use metal to create sculptures, bronze has historically been the most commonly used but nowadays, sculptors can also choose aluminum or even steel.
Contemporary practices and technical developments have led to a growing diversity of materials being available for sculptors to use. Contemporary sculpture therefore uses a wider range of materials than modern sculpture did. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see artworks made of resin, glass or a combination of several different materials. Artists may also use new technologies such as 3D printers to help them create works.
Over the course of the history of sculpture, there have been a many different types of sculptures and artists have developed numerous techniques for creating three dimensional works.
In relief sculpture, the sculpted form stays attached to the background made of the same material. If the carving is shallow then the work is referred to as a bas-relief. If there is some undercutting and more of 50% of the depth is shown, the work is sculptured in high relief.
If a sculpture is described as in the round or free-standing, it means that the work is detached from the background, in the majority of cases this means that the viewer to walk around it and admire it from all angles.
A key basic distinction is sculpture is the contrast between modeling and carving. Modeling is an additive technique which creates forms by adding more material. This is more flexible for sculptors as they can generally add or subtract the material as they please, for example as they would when using clay. Carving is a subtractive method; the sculptor removes material from a solid block of material, for example wood or marble, to reveal the desired shape.
Some of the greatest artists in the history of sculpture include: Michelangelo, Antoine-Louis Barye, Rembrandt Bugatti, Camille Claudel, Auguste Rodin, Alberto Giacometti, Louise Bourgeois, Cesar, Arman, Anish Kapoor, Anselm Kiefer, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Orlinski and Christophe Charbonnel.
Discover the styles & movements
Jack Jacquot
George Koutsouris
Vibrating coolness
George Koutsouris
Sculpture - 50 x 80 x 12 cm Sculpture - 19.7 x 31.5 x 4.7 inch
$1,443
Music Composition No.4
George Koutsouris
Sculpture - 75 x 100 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 39.4 x 3 inch
$5,550
Music Composition No.3
George Koutsouris
Sculpture - 75 x 100 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 39.4 x 3 inch
$6,660
Music Composition No.1
George Koutsouris
Sculpture - 85 x 85 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 33.5 x 33.5 x 3 inch
$6,660
Music Composition No.2
George Koutsouris
Sculpture - 85 x 85 x 7.5 cm Sculpture - 33.5 x 33.5 x 3 inch
$6,660
Luck of communication
George Koutsouris
Painting - 50 x 70 x 2.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1 inch
$1,110
Santiago Sierra
House in Mud
Santiago Sierra
Photography - 21 x 30 x 1.5 cm Photography - 8.3 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
$5,550
Stephanie Godann
Chat l’Bête 2.3 #128
Stephanie Godann
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 40 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$333
God Save The Cat
Stephanie Godann
Painting - 22 x 22 x 3 cm Painting - 8.7 x 8.7 x 1.2 inch
$277 $250
CJ Hendry
Craftsman (purple) from the Cheese edition series
CJ Hendry
Sculpture - 40.6 x 40.6 x 7.6 cm Sculpture - 16 x 16 x 3 inch
$8,900
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Man in the fields
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Painting - 49 x 64 x 0.4 cm Painting - 19.3 x 25.2 x 0.2 inch
$1,332
Cubist with three faces
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Sculpture - 22 x 14 x 11 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 5.5 x 4.3 inch
$2,886
Woman
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 60 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch
$888
An optimistic landscape
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Painting - 44 x 62.5 x 0.2 cm Painting - 17.3 x 24.6 x 0.1 inch
$777
Skull - perhaps death
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$666
Captured demon
Karl-Karol Chrobok
Painting - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
$1,332
Layla Dagher
Abhishek Kumar
Tropical elegance 03
Abhishek Kumar
Painting - 121.9 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm Painting - 48 x 36 x 2 inch
$1,660
Nature's Sentinel: A Teddy Bear's Reverie
Abhishek Kumar
Sculpture - 61 x 61 x 61 cm Sculpture - 24 x 24 x 24 inch
$3,050
Tomasz Koclega
Tenentes Thesaurus
Tomasz Koclega
Sculpture - 59 x 22 x 22 cm Sculpture - 23.2 x 8.7 x 8.7 inch
Sold
Procidat deceptionem
Tomasz Koclega
Sculpture - 25 x 18 x 40 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 7.1 x 15.7 inch
Sold
Habentem Perfectum
Tomasz Koclega
Sculpture - 27 x 25 x 15 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 9.8 x 5.9 inch
Sold
Tenens Magnus Perfectum
Tomasz Koclega
Sculpture - 32 x 26 x 16 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 10.2 x 6.3 inch
Sold
Valerian Sioridzé
Golden Monkey
Valerian Sioridzé
Sculpture - 32 x 19 x 12 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 7.5 x 4.7 inch
$1,387
Orang-outan sage
Valerian Sioridzé
Sculpture - 34 x 19 x 12 cm Sculpture - 13.4 x 7.5 x 4.7 inch
$1,054
Rhinocéros
Valerian Sioridzé
Sculpture - 20 x 43.5 x 13.5 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 17.1 x 5.3 inch
$1,054
Bernard Métranve
Dualité II
Bernard Métranve
Sculpture - 35 x 24 x 7 cm Sculpture - 13.8 x 9.4 x 2.8 inch
$4,395 $3,736
Le temps amassé
Bernard Métranve
Sculpture - 16 x 16 x 15 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 6.3 x 5.9 inch
$2,553
Coléoptère debout
Bernard Métranve
Sculpture - 23 x 20 x 2.5 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 7.9 x 1 inch
$1,332
Neno Ramos
The Royal Kiss - Day and Night
Neno Ramos
Sculpture - 45 x 85 x 1.5 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 33.5 x 0.6 inch
$20,000