Around the World in Sculptures

Sculptures have been a popular art form for thousands of years, providing a fundamental insight into ancient cultures and serving as a testament to the skill of the artists. They are primarily made of stone, which increases the likelihood of their survival over time. From the iconic Bust of Nefertiti to the Venus of Willendorf and the Statue of Liberty, sculptures can be found all around the world, showcasing extraordinary artwork from various eras and civilizations.

The Venus of Willendorf is a stone sculpture of a nude woman discovered in Willendorf, Australia. While this sculpture may not be as impressive as others on this list, it is one of the oldest, estimated to have been created 25,000 – 30,000 years ago.

The Bust of Nefertiti was created around 1340 BC by Thutmose and was discovered in Tellel Amarna, Egypt. This sculpture is impressive as it is one of the most copied works of Ancient Egypt, and is commonly referred to as an icon of feminine beauty.

David, by Michelangelo, is one of the most impressive pieces of artwork from the Italian Renaissance. The sculpture is currently on display at the Galleria Dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy.

The Guitar sculpture was created by Pablo Picasso in 1914.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue in Giza, Egypt, created during the reign of King Khafre. The Sphinx is arguably the most famous landmark in Egypt and is the best-known example of sphinx art. Furthermore, it is also one of the largest sculptures in the world, standing at about 240 feet long and 60 feet high.

Venus de Milo, commonly known as Aphrodite of Milos, was created during the Hellenistic period by Alexandros of Antioch. The sculpture was found on the island of Milos, Greece, and has been displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1821.

The Thinker is a bronze sculpture created by Auguste Rodin in 1904. Given the sculpture’s stance, a pose like they were in deep thought, it is often used to represent philosophy.

The Walking Man is a bronze sculpture created by Alberto Giacometti in 1947. Giacometti drew influence from the artistic environment and the post-World War II atmosphere in Paris.

Les Voyageurs is a series of iconic sculptures created by Bruno Catalano, which depicts men and women travelers with large portions of their bodies missing. Catalano actually drew inspiration from his own life experiences as a sailor and as an immigrant to France from Morocco.

The Monument of An Anonymous Passerby is a significant sculpture in Wroclaw, Poland, created by Jersey Kalina. The sculpture consists of 14 life-sized human figures, seven on each side of the street, ascending and descending into the ground. The sculpture is often used as a memorial to the citizens killed or missing during the martial law period in Poland.

Ocean Atlas is an impressive underwater sculpture designed by Jason deCaires Taylor. This sculpture is a single figurative sculpture deployed underwater, which reaches five meters up from the seafloor to the surface. This sculpture is located off the west coast of New Providence in Nassau, Bahamas.

Den Lille Havfrue, also known as the Little Mermaid sculpture, was created by Edward Erisken and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The statue was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen shortly after he watched a ballet performance based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Moat sculpture is a fantasy-inspired sculpture created by Design Toscanini.

The Pieta is another impressive sculpture created by Michelangelo Buonarroti in the late 1490s. The Pieta is currently housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, featuring the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. Michelangelo was originally commissioned by Cardinal Jean de Billheres which was placed at a side chapel at Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The Kiss is an impressive marble sculpture created by Auguste Rodin in the late 1890s and is believed to be one of Rodin’s most famous pieces of art. The French state commissioned Rodin, and much of his inspiration drew from the infamous story of Pablo and Francesca from Dante’s Inferno.

Yet another impressive work by Auguste Rodin during the 1880’s is The Burghers of Calais. This sculpture was created to commemorate a special event during the Hundred Years’ War. This was dedicated to the six citizens of Calais who offered their lives to English King Edward III in order to spare the city.

Expansion is an impressive sculpture in which artist Paige Bradley incorporated bronze and electricity to complete it. Bradley ultimately created a series of sculptures in a few different sizes, but this is arguably her most famous.

Freedom is an impressive sculpture by Zenos Frudakis in 2000. The sculpture is outside GlaxoSmithKline’s offices in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The artwork consists of a large slab and a freestanding statue, measuring 20 feet long, 8 feet high, and weighing 7,000 pounds.

Diminish and Ascend is an aluminum sculpture designed by David McCracken, which was created for the” Sculpture by the Sea” exhibit in Sydney, Australia. The sculpture now stands in a lake at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in New Zealand.

The Mustangs of Las Colinas is a bronze statue created by Robert Glen, currently standing in Williams Square in Las Colinas, Irving, Texas. The work commemorates the wild mustangs that were historically important inhabitants of much of Texas and represent the drive, and initiative lifestyle that were fundamental to the state in its pioneer days.

The Caring Hand was created by Eva Oertli and Beat Huber in 2004 and is located in Glarus, Switzerland. The sculpture holds a lot of symbolism, displaying the responsibility humans have to nurture and protect the natural world around them.

The Giants Head is in the infamous Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The Giants Head goes along with two other living sculptures in the gardens, Mud Maid and the Grey Lady. These sculptures are made from clay and plants, and they change with the seasons as the plants grow and evolve.

Vicissitudes is an impressive underwater sculpture just off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea. This sculpture was created by Jason deCaires Taylor in 2007 and goes along with the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park.

The Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou, China, is a bronze sculpture created in dedication to the Chinese military general Guan Yu. This gigantic statue was designed by Han Merlin and was finished in 2016. There are many different statues of Guan Yu around the world, but this is the largest and, by far, the most impressive.

Popped Up is considered to be a temporary sculpture created by Ervin Lora the Herve and is located in Szechenyi Square in Budapest, Hungary.

The Unknown Bureaucrat was created by Magnus Tomasson in 1994 located in Reykjavik, Iceland. The statue is faceless, with a large slab of Icelandic volcanic basalt where the head and torso would be.

Hippos Square is an impressive sculpture located at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. Former zoo director Chen Pao-Chung originally began the creation of the remarkable bronze sculptures. Hippo Square was named one of the world’s 25 most creative statues and sculptures by Boredpanda.

The Kelpies are two 30-meter-high (98 feet) horse-head sculptures between Falkirk and Grangemouth in Scotland. The horse heads were designed by Andy Scott and were completed in October of 2013. These sculptures were created in order to display the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy.

The Headington Shark is a rooftop sculpture located at 2 New High Street, Headington, Oxford, England. Sculptor John Buckley officially gave it the name “Untitled 1986”, depicting a large shark being embedded into the roof of a house.

Transcendence is a unique sculpture located in Portland, Oregon, created by sculptor Keith Jellum. This sculpture was created in 1998, and is located above Southpark Seafood.

METALmorphisis was created by David Černý and is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The sculpture consists of 40 steel pieces grouped into seven segments, which can independently rotate 360 degrees.