Sculpture has been a popular medium for many centuries, and over the years there have been some incredible pieces that have captured the attention of art enthusiasts around the globe.
You can see many of the classic and contemporary sculptures at museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum and even in places like Central Park.
To give you a taste of what you should look for, we’ve rounded up our favourites and created a short list of the most popular sculptures of all time.
The Venus of Willendorf
This tiny sculpture is the epitome of the saying dynamite comes in small packages. Dating back to around 26000 BC, this sculpture measures just over 4 inches in height and depicts what is believed to be a women’s self-portrait in stone.
It is considered to be a symbol of fertility too, and it has even been banned on Facebook as an image posted of it was considered a nude- until someone had a closer look and discovered it could hardly pass as raunchy, even though it is endearingly anatomically correct.
Nefertiti’s Bust
Believed to have been created in 1345 BC, this symbol of flawless feminine beauty is thought to be the work of Thutmose, Akhenaten’s court sculptor. The stucco-coated limestone bust has a naturalistic style and departs wholly from the more stylized Egyptian art that was popular at the time.
Its master craftsmanship and lifelike portrayal of Nefertiti gives us a glimpse of the past and of the regal stature she had.
The Burghers of Calais
Auguste Rodin is often associated with his famous sculpture, The Thinker, but the Burghers of Calais that commemorates an incident during the Hundred Years’ War that ran from 1337–1453 between Britain and France is far more important in the history of art.
The sculpture is not typical of its time either, as all the life sized characters are on ground level and this radial realism move was a step in the direction of the more modern art we see today.
The Guitar
Pablo Picasso created a cardboard maquette that changed art in the 20th Century; much like betting sites changed the way we wager on sport. His guitar often featured in his work and in this case he used collage cut and paste techniques to create a 3 dimensional object that had both depth and volume.
Guitar ended up setting the tone for so many other artistic styles, from minimalism to Russian Constructivism and beyond. Just 2 years after creating his cardboard Guitar, Picasso made one in tin, and it is this sculpture that till attracts so much attention in the art world.
Brillo Box (Soap Pads)
This list wouldn’t be complete without an Andy Warhol contribution. Created in the 60’s at a time when Warhol was taking every day objects and turning them in to art, Brillo Box is a painted wooden box with the branded image screen printed on, and it highlights how art and every day life co-exist so closely together.
