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, Mauka, Anne Rabion

Mauka

Anne Rabion

Sculpture - 25 x 11 x 10 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 4.3 x 3.9 inch

$846

Sculpture, Horse head, Jón Leifsson

Horse head

Jón Leifsson

Sculpture - 27 x 24 x 15 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 9.4 x 5.9 inch

$902

Sculpture, Le voleur de vin, Dotty

Le voleur de vin

Dotty

Sculpture - 23 x 13 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 5.1 x 4.7 inch

$2,165

Sculpture, Rosita, Pierre Gimenez

Rosita

Pierre Gimenez

Sculpture - 40 x 16 x 16 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 6.3 x 6.3 inch

$2,480

Sculpture, Crazy DOG, Art'Mony

Crazy DOG

Art'Mony

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

$665

Sculpture, Panda Ba, Julien Marinetti

Panda Ba

Julien Marinetti

Sculpture - 40 x 28 x 30 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 11 x 11.8 inch

$11,275

Sculpture, Cap Nord, Alain Mandon

Cap Nord

Alain Mandon

Sculpture - 75 x 26 x 12 cm Sculpture - 29.5 x 10.2 x 4.7 inch

$1,071

Sculpture, Plumpy Balloons, Cévé

Plumpy Balloons

Cévé

Sculpture - 125 x 80 x 60 cm Sculpture - 49.2 x 31.5 x 23.6 inch

$42,843

Sculpture, Mini Misty, Bernard Rives

Mini Misty

Bernard Rives

Sculpture - 32 x 12 x 10 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 4.7 x 3.9 inch

$958

Sculpture, Jaguar head, Chris Tap

Jaguar head

Chris Tap

Sculpture - 21 x 19 x 26 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 7.5 x 10.2 inch

$3,946

Sculpture, Gold Jelly, Max ArtLouis

Gold Jelly

Max ArtLouis

Sculpture - 33 x 33 x 38 cm Sculpture - 13 x 13 x 15 inch

$789

Sculpture, Wood Lowi, Carolien Bosch

Wood Lowi

Carolien Bosch

Sculpture - 52 x 25 x 25 cm Sculpture - 20.5 x 9.8 x 9.8 inch

$2,931

Sculpture, Chanoir x Reese, Chanoir

Chanoir x Reese

Chanoir

Sculpture - 30 x 21 x 6 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 8.3 x 2.4 inch

$1,578

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

$4,442

Sculpture, Petit Poney, Emilie Muzy

Petit Poney

Emilie Muzy

Sculpture - 13 x 25 x 7 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 9.8 x 2.8 inch

$665

Sculpture, Buffle noir, William Byl

Buffle noir

William Byl

Sculpture - 37.5 x 40 x 10 cm Sculpture - 14.8 x 15.7 x 3.9 inch

$2,244

Sculpture, Le chat, Corneille

Le chat

Corneille

Sculpture - 105 x 100 x 18 cm Sculpture - 41.3 x 39.4 x 7.1 inch

$41,491

Sculpture, Cornus, Pascal Billard

Cornus

Pascal Billard

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

$891

Sculpture, Envol V, Pierre Yermia

Envol V

Pierre Yermia

Sculpture - 37 x 33 x 26 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 13 x 10.2 inch

$3,382

Sculpture, Snake une pivoine, StephD

Snake une pivoine

StephD

Sculpture - 80 x 20 x 4 cm Sculpture - 31.5 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

$733

Sculpture, Crystal Swan, Soren Lyris

Crystal Swan

Soren Lyris

Sculpture - 7 x 9 x 6 cm Sculpture - 2.8 x 3.5 x 2.4 inch

$942

Sculpture, Scie-lames, Patopalomo

Scie-lames

Patopalomo

Sculpture - 37 x 33 x 50 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 13 x 19.7 inch

$1,015

Sculpture, Bison, Erik Ebeling

Bison

Erik Ebeling

Sculpture - 24 x 33 x 18 cm Sculpture - 9.4 x 13 x 7.1 inch

$2,500

Sculpture, Ours rouge, Danu

Ours rouge

Danu

Sculpture - 51 x 69 x 19 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 27.2 x 7.5 inch

$1,691

Sculpture, Taureau Noir, Gite

Taureau Noir

Gite

Sculpture - 23 x 37 x 24 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 14.6 x 9.4 inch

$1,409

Sculpture, Mother, Jürgen Lingl

Mother

Jürgen Lingl

Sculpture - 59 x 35 x 38 cm Sculpture - 23.2 x 13.8 x 15 inch

$20,858

Sculpture, Arthus, Michel Duclos

Arthus

Michel Duclos

Sculpture - 21 x 37 x 20 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 14.6 x 7.9 inch

$2,142

Sculpture, Horse, Gelitin

Horse

Gelitin

Sculpture - 132 x 60 x 100 cm Sculpture - 52 x 23.6 x 39.4 inch

$5,525

Sculpture, Monkey, Denko

Monkey

Denko

Sculpture - 20 x 10 x 0.7 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 3.9 x 0.3 inch

$665

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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.