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People Figurative Sculptures

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Art Subject: People
Demian Undressing
Located in London, GB
Bronze Numbered 1/10 66cm × 26cm × 36cm (incl. base) Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK an...
Category

2010s English School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bacio (Kiss) - hand carved Italian contemporary figurative rose marble sculpture
Located in San Francisco, CA
Bacio (Kiss) by Lorenzo Vignoli striking hand carved marble sculpture of rare Portuguese rosa marble by contemporary Italian sculptor Lorenzo Vignoli, incorporating classical refere...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble

Cursus Bronze Sculpture Contemporary Nude Boys Male Figures Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
Cursus Bronze Sculpture Contemporary Nude Boys Male Figures Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

David Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
David Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher at ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

"Untitled" bronze sculpture of seated female figure by artist Felipe Castañeda
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Untitled" bronze sculpture of a female nude by artist Felipe Castañeda. Inscribed F. Castañeda 1984 P/A on base.
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Lucifer Evangilans Bronze Contemporary Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure
Located in Utrecht, NL
Lucifer Evangilans Bronze Contemporary Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Pair of Italian "Alabaster Stone Lions" after Antonio Canova; Mid 19th Century
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Pair Recumbent Stone Lions" after Antonio Canova (1757-1822) Italian (possibly Florence) Mid 19th Century Alabaster, marble 6 x 9 x 4 inches This is an exquisite pair of Italian alabaster lions on marble bases based on the monumental lions carved by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), the greatest Italian neoclassical sculptor. Canova sculpted the marble lions for the monumental tomb of Pope Clement XIII in St. Peter’s, Rome in 1792 Canova Lions refers to the pair of copies of lion sculptures by Antonio Canova. When Canova created the sculptures in 1792, he installed them on the tomb of Pope Clement XIII. The marble sculptures are some of the most prominent features in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Given the intricacies of creating the original Canova lions, some artists created molds and replicated them. A good example is the pair of lion sculptures...
Category

1850s Italian School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster, Marble

Bufo Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Marble Stone Male Figure
Located in Utrecht, NL
Bufo Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Marble Stone Male Figure Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profession as a teacher at a high school, he intensively practises his profession as a sculptor. Only when his work would measure up to his own standards, he decided to present it to the rest of the world. In 1995, he exhibited for the first time with Morren Galleries. Van der Kant desires to sculpt young people who still stand uninhibited and curiously in life. The reason he chooses to sculpt boys is, because he is one himself, this way the subject is closer to him. The anatomy of his figures testify of perfectionism. Van der Kant's subjects show similarities with the sculptures from the Greek and Roman antiquity...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

"SAM HOUSTON" HORN CARVING 1936 TEXAS CENTENNIAL AMAZING WORK
Located in San Antonio, TX
Dan Super "SAM HOUSTON" (1873-1953) Houston Artist Image Size: 3 3/4 inches tall Medium: Carved Horn of Sam Houston to celebrate the Texas Centennial. Texas Centennial 1936 "Sam Houston Pin Cushion Holder" Biography Dan Super (1873-1953) Dan E. Super, Jr. (1873 – 1953) Dan Super had the eye of a sculptor, envisioning and then creating hundreds of objects from the elongated form of a Texas Longhorn’s tusk. At the age of six, Dan Super carved his first drawing into a piece of the horn of a Texas Longhorn. Over the next 56 years, he made utilitarian pieces like pencil cups, pin cushions, and backscratchers, realistic replicas of animals and birds, and imaginative carvings of elegant nudes. While these carvings resemble the traditional art of scrimshaw, carvings from whale bone, we’ve not been able to identify another carver who used the Texas Longhorn as his material. “My work is done with an ordinary pocketknife, hacksaw file and rasp,” Super wrote in 1937. He used the horn in every way conceivable; whole, allowing the shape to define the object he was making, flattened to make mosaic or inlay work. He incised and pierced it and carved in the round. His own hands polished the horn to a sheen. Daniel Super, Jr. was born in Houston on August 22, 1873. His father owned stock years, D. Super and Brothers Co., providing the young Super with ready access to his raw material. Throughout his life, he worked in the businesses key to the identity and success of young, booming Houston, cattle, oil, real estate and rail. In 1896 he married Lula, and took over the family business, expanding it to include a grocery. He closed the company in 1912 and got into the oil business...
Category

1930s Realist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Other Medium

Young girl from Bou-Saada
Located in PARIS, FR
Young girl from Bou-Saada by Louis-Ernest BARRIAS (1841-1905) Bronze sculpture with a nuanced dual patina with blue enamelled jewels Signed on the base " E. Barrias " Cast by " Suss...
Category

Early 20th Century French School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

When the Lights Go On Again, Mid Century Cast Stone, Cleveland School Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Walter Sinz (American, 1881-1966) When the Lights Go On Again, 1943 Cast Stone 10 x 4.5 x 8 inches Walter A. Sinz was an American sculptor born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 13, 1881. ...
Category

1940s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Cast Stone

Magnificent Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological Subject Minerva 1780
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological roman subject of Minerva in Marble Travertino . Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measurements: Statue cm 180 . Minerva (Pallas Athena in Greek...
Category

Late 18th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Ferdinand Preiss Hoop Girl And Sonny Boy Painted Bronze Figures
Located in Dallas, TX
Ferdinand Preiss (German, 1882 - 1943) Hoop Girl & Sonny Boy Cold-painted bronze Circa 1930, Art Deco Period Dimensions: 8.18 Inches Tall x 4.65 Inches wide x 2.75 inches deep. ...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Demetre Chiparus Egyptian Dancer
Located in Miami, FL
Demetre Chiparus Egyptian Dancer, ca. 1920 Bronze, enamel, gilt metal, and marble 29 in Signed to base 'Chiparus'
Category

1920s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sabrina
Located in Pasadena, CA
Patrick BRUN was born in Paris in 1941. After obtaining his Engineering degree, he began his professional life as a teacher in mathematics and physics. After this period, he started ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sabrina
Sabrina
$5,200 Sale Price
31% Off
A Lute Player Medieval Tile Gypsum Cast
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Could be also adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install ( price will be different).
Category

15th Century and Earlier Gothic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gesso

Fratres Bronze Sculpture Boys Brothers Male Nude Figure Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
Fratres Bronze Sculpture Boys Brothers Male Nude Figure Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profess...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse A Figural Bronze Sculpture Melodie
Located in New York, NY
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (1824 - 1887) Female Figural Bronze Sculpture Melodie (Melody)  A young lady with a lyre  in bronze with a dark green patina 19th Century  31" H x ...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

French antique bronze sculpture by Eutrope Bouret
Located in Berlin, DE
This is an outstanding bronze statue of Eutrope Bouret, signed on the base, by the very well-known French artist Eutrope Bouret (1833-1906). French antique bronze sculpture by Eutro...
Category

19th Century Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

La Vague (The Wave)
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"La Vague (The Wave)" is a figurative abstract bronze sculpture created by Camillle Claudel. The artwork is 24 1/4 x 19 x 24 inches, weighing less than 50 lbs. It is signed "C. Claud...
Category

19th Century Impressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

MUMUYE FIGURE
Located in Three Oaks, MI
Within Nigeria's Benue River Valley region, such representations have been associated with a range of functions, including reinforcement of the status of male elders and used by heal...
Category

Early 20th Century Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Untitled, Neptune, Series Stand - Contemporary Photography - Painting Object
Located in Salzburg, AT
Individual technique on grey military blanket Magdalena Peszkowska born in 1980 in Gdańsk, Poland. Studied in Department of Painting at Academy of F...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Monoprint, Other Medium

Jean-Léon Gérôme La Danseuse au Cerceau - Gilt Bronze Statue of a Hoop Dancer
Located in New York, NY
Jean-Léon Gérôme French 1824 - 1904 La Joueuse De Cerceau - The Hoop Dancer A mini gilt bronze female figural statue of a young hoop dancer inspired by a trove of ancient terraco...
Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Profundus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Contemporary Male Figure Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
Profundus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Contemporary Male Figure Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Baroque Roman sculptor - 17th century alabaster sculpture - Hercules Cerberus
Located in Varmo, IT
Alabaster sculpture - Hercules and Cerberus. Rome, 17th century. 18 x 9.5 x h 37 cm. Made entirely of carved alabaster. Separate alabaster base, missing left foot and arm, and othe...
Category

Mid-17th Century Baroque Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Clear Skies Ahead - surreal, figurative, steel and fiberglass sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This figurative indoor sculpture of a male is hand forged in steel. The uniquely beautiful sculptural work of multidisciplinary artist Derya Ozparlak has been exhibited in collectio...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Folded Arms Study (Full Figure)
Located in London, GB
Bronze Numbered 5/9 87cm × 44cm × 21cm (incl. base) Pratley is a Sculptor working from life models in his West London studio. His inspirations range from ancient Greek masterpieces ...
Category

2010s English School Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Return from the Tiger hunt
Located in PARIS, FR
"Return from the Hunt" also named '"Return from the Tiger hunt" by Roger GODCHAUX (1878-1958) Remarkable bronze group with a nuanced dark greenish brown patina Signed on the base "...
Category

1930s Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Kota Reliquary Figure Nigeria, " Wood Copper created circa 1970
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Kota Reliquary Figure Nigeria" is a wood and copper sculpture created in Nigeria circa 1970. A head is made with wide red eyes. Their hair is in...
Category

1970s Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Copper

Teardrop III Sculpture Bronze Human Male Nude Small Art Contemporary Classic
Located in Utrecht, NL
Teardrop III Sculpture Bronze Human Male Nude Small Art Contemporary Classic Victor Veber is a French sculptor born in 1994 in Lyon. Classically trained and deeply inspired by both ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Italian Bronze Sculpture of Nude Woman, Mid 20th Century
Located in Beachwood, OH
Mario Spampinato (Italian 1912–2000) Nude Bronze Signed on base 17.5 in. h. x 5.75 in. w. x 6 in. d. The artist was born, raised and trained in Italy. During one of his exhibits (at San Marcos in Rome) the Director of a New York Gallery asked him to come to New York to work for him. The American Consul, before issuing his visa, asked Spampinato to create a bust of him. In exchange, the Consul paid for his passage on the boat to New York. In New York, he worked with his brother Clemente Spampinato who is a well known sculptor as well. After moving to Chicago in 1954, he discovered that there was no foundry in the Midwest that could cast his bronzes. So, he opened his own foundry called the Spampinato Art Foundry, casting in the lost wax process. He also started his own private school (Spampinato Art Workshop, Ltd) and did some teaching at the University of Chicago and conducted seminars at Lawrence University in Kansas. Many of his own works are pictured and cataloged in Volumes 2 & 3 of Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders, 1800-1930 by Harold Berman. Between 1959 and 1967, Spampinato recast a number of Charles M Russell...
Category

Mid-20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Modern Pop Art Dita Mel Ramos Stainless Steel Nude Sculpture
Located in Zug, CH
MEL RAMOS (1935-2018) Dita 2017 Cast and polished stainless steel 58 x 33 x 26 cm 22.83 x 12.99 x 10.24 inches Number 29 of 60, Edition of 60 + 6 A.P. Cast signature and number on b...
Category

20th Century Pop Art Nude Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel

I am a clown (~38% OFF LIST PRICE - LIMITED TIME ONLY)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Hannah Schelb I am a clown (When are you going to start treating me like a joke?) 2025 Ceramic, Glaze, Cone 5 Oxidation, Aluminum Wire, Kanthal Wire 34 x 12 x 14.5 inches (86.4 x 30....
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wire

Tollit Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Contemporary Male Figure Balance Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
Tollit Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Contemporary Male Figure Balance Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his bu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Neoclassical White Marble Alabaster Sculpture Three Graces Signed Cipriani 19th
Located in Roma, IT
A classical marble sculpture depicting three nymphs arranged in a circle in a dancing pose, sculpted and signed Cipriani. The graces are positioned in a circle and jointly hold a cro...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Tiger surprising an antelope
Located in PARIS, FR
Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) Tiger surprising an antelope Bronze with nuanced dark greenish brown patina Signed on the base " Barye " Cast by Barye's own workshop (conducted in t...
Category

1870s French School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

This is Me (~35% OFF LIST PRICE - LIMITED TIME ONLY)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Hannah Schelb This is Me 2025 Ceramic, Glaze, Cone 5 Oxidation, Aluminum Wire, Kanthal Wire 26 x 24 x 38 inches (66 x 63.5 x 96.5 cm) Signed COA provided *Assembly required. Instruc...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wire

Female Figure
Located in New York, NY
It is marvelous to find discoveries such as Lorrie Goulet's female form, one of our few American women sculptors who direct carved in marble. Goulet has an attractive technique of u...
Category

1960s American Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Lion and snake
Located in PARIS, FR
Lion and snake n°3 by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) Bronze sculpture with a nuanced dark greenish brown patina signed "Barye" on the base old edition cast – probably from the Bary...
Category

1860s French School Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Alegria II" contemporary bronze table, mural sculpture figurative girl yoga
Located in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Alegria II is a bronze sculpture with black patina, it is connected to a steel base. The edition size is 25. This sculpture stands on shelf as well as be hung on wall. Joan wants to ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Steel

Francisco Zuniga Bronze Sculpture, 1964, "Desnudo Acostada"
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Francisco Zuniga bronze sculpture, Nude Lying Down. Edition: 3. #377 in the Zuniga catalog raisonne. Titled: "Desnudo Acostado". Measures: 6 7/8" H x 18" L x 19" W not including the...
Category

1960s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Large Abstract Zen Wood Sculpture "Sitting in Oblivion" by Ser Uang Huang
Located in Taichung, TW
Designer's Note: Visual Impact: This sculpture is a masterclass in negative space. The large central void creates a "window" that allows light and air to pass through, preventing th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Man Standing, 21st Century Contemporary Wooden Sculpture by Pedro Quesada Sierra
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
This ceramic buste is made by Spanish artist Pedro Quesada Sierra. The Spanish sculptor, despite his only 39 years, is already a lot of laureate artist. In March 2018 he received, ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Agnus dei - Puerta de sagrario - Siglo XVII
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Muy interesante puerta de sagrario de madera tallada y policromada del siglo xvii. Es de comienzos del barroco, hay la representación del agnus dei con...
Category

17th Century Baroque Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood Panel

Life Size Female Torso – Contemporary Figurative Sculpture by Zura
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zura – Life‑Size Female Figure (2023), Plaster Dimensions: 39 × 16 × 12 in │ 99 × 41 × 30 cm Medium: Hand-modeled plaster (also available in bronze) Signature: Hand-signed by the art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Terracotta figurativa italiana a tema mitologico dei primi del Novecento
Located in Florence, IT
Piccola terracotta a soggetto mitologico firmata sul retro sulla base "Zambini", che per la grafia (in particolare la Z che ricorda una F) permette di identificar...
Category

Early 20th Century Renaissance Nude Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

"Mermaid, " Carved Springstone by Farai Darare
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Mermaid" is a unique springstone sculpture by the Shona artist Farai Darare. It depicts a woman's face and an abstracted body that loops around to frame an oval of negative space. This piece is expertly carved to showcase two textures from the same stone. This sculpture weighs 30 pounds (approximately 13.6 kg). 16 3/4" x 8" x 5 1/4" art 30 lbs Farai Walter Darare started working as a washer and polisher for his father's sculptures when he was seven years old. He worked and studied under the renowned Shona sculptors Chikumbirike, Runyanga, Muropa, and his father Casper Darare...
Category

Early 2000s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone

Pair of Carrara Marble Busts of the Emperor Napoleon and Empress Marie Louise
Located in New Orleans, LA
"I am a true Roman Emperor; I am of the best race of the Caesars—those who are founders." –Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812 Among the most iconic and celebrated figures in history, Napoleon...
Category

19th Century Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Frannie by Nando Kallweit. A figurative bronze sculpture of a nude woman
Located in Coltishall, GB
Neile is an elegant figurative bronze sculpture of a female nude by Nando Kallweit. Modelled on modern youthful postures but with a nod to the importance of heritage through the sty...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Other Art Style Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Figurative Functional Dish, "Amber"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original ceramic functional dish by Southern California artist, Cheryl Tall. Its dimensions are 5.25" x .25" x 1". A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery. ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Male Classical Torso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Walnut

Antique Polychrome African Wood Carving from Igbo Nigeria
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Antique Polychrome Wood Carving Igbo Nigeria Africa, Staff decorated with two figures, mounted as a finial on the shaft terminating in a triang...
Category

1910s Tribal Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paint, Wood

Harmony, 20th century bronze green marble base, nude man and woman with lyre
Located in Beachwood, OH
Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Harmony, c. 1930 Bronze with green marble base Incised signature on right upper side of base 14 x 9 x 5 inches, excluding base 17 x 10 x 8 inches, including base Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti...
Category

1930s American Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Ad Dextram Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone
Located in Utrecht, NL
Ad Dextram Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Nex...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

The Present (Nativity Creche) 90" high cast aluminum
Located in Loveland, CO
"The Present" by Jane DeDecker Cast Aluminum Nativity Creche with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus and an Angel beneath the Star of Bethlehem. Make your Christmas yard display extra spec...
Category

2010s Impressionist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Dancer, Signed Cast Paper Relief by Bruno Lucchesi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dancer by Bruno Lucchesi, Italian (1926) Date: circa 1970s Cast paper reflief, signed and numbered Edition of 85/300 Size: 28 x 25 in. (71.12 x 63.5 cm) Frame Size: 35.5 x 31.5 inches
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paper

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Figure Statue Sculpture "Prise de Corsaire"
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique large French Art Nouveau Bronze Figural Sculpture, titled "Prise de Corsaire" by Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914), circa 1900. This very...
Category

Early 1900s Art Nouveau Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Early 20th Century Ceramic Sculpture of a Polo Player and Horse
By Waylande Gregory
Located in Beachwood, OH
Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) Polo Player, c. 1930s Ceramic Inscribed signature on bottom 11 x 8.5 inches Waylande Gregory was considered a major American sculptor during the 1930's, although he worked in ceramics, rather than in the more traditional bronze or marble. Exhibiting his ceramic works at such significant American venues for sculpture as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and at the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he also showed his ceramic sculptures at leading New York City galleries. Gregory was the first modern ceramist to create large scale ceramic sculptures, some measuring more than 70 inches in height. Similar to the technique developed by the ancient Etruscans, he fired his monumental ceramic sculptures only once. Gregory was born in 1905 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and was something of a prodigy. Growing up on a ranch near a Cherokee reservation, Gregory first became interested in ceramics as a child during a native American burial that he had witnessed. He was also musically inclined. In fact, his mother had been a concert pianist and had given her son lessons. At eleven, he was enrolled as a student at the Kansas State Teacher's College, where he studied carpentry and crafts, including ceramics. Gregory's early development as a sculptor was shaped by the encouragement and instruction of Lorado Taft, who was considered both a major American sculptor as well as a leading American sculpture instructor. In fact, Taft's earlier students included such significant sculptors as Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Janet Scudder. But, Taft and his students had primarily worked in bronze or stone, not in clay; and, Gregory's earliest sculptural works were also not in ceramics. In 1924, Gregory moved to Chicago where he caught the attention of Taft. Gregory was invited by Taft to study with him privately for 18 months and to live and work with him at his famed "Midway Studios." The elegant studio was a complex of 13 rooms that overlooked a courtyard. Taft may have been responsible for getting the young man interested in creating large scale sculpture. However, by the 1920's, Taft's brand of academic sculpture was no longer considered progressive. Instead, Gregory was attracted to the latest trends appearing in the United States and Europe. In 1928 he visited Europe with Taft and other students. "Kid Gregory," as he was called, was soon hired by Guy Cowan, the founder of the Cowan Pottery in Cleveland, Ohio, to become the company's only full time employee. From 1928 to 1932, Gregory served as the chief designer and sculptor at the Cowan Pottery. Just as Gregory learned about the process of creating sculpture from Taft, he literally learned about ceramics from Cowan. Cowan was one of the first graduates of Alfred, the New York School of Clayworking and Ceramics. Alfred had one of the first programs in production pottery. Cowan may have known about pottery production, but he had limited sculptural skills, as he was lacking training in sculpture. The focus of the Cowan Pottery would be on limited edition, table top or mantle sculptures. Two of the most successful of these were Gregory's "Nautch Dancer," (fig. 1) and his "Burlesque Dancer," (fig. 2). He based both sculptures on the dancing of Gilda Gray, a Ziegfield Follies girl. Gilda Gray was of Polish origin and came to the United States as a child. By 1922, she would become one of the most popular stars in the Follies. After losing her assets in the stock market crash of 1929, she accepted other bookings outside of New York, including Cleveland, which was where Gregory first saw her onstage. She allowed Gregory to make sketches of her performances from the wings of the theatre. She explained to Gregory, "I'm too restless to pose." Gray became noted for her nautch dance, an East Indian folk dance. A nautch is a tight, fitted dress that would curl at the bottom and act like a hoop. This sculpture does not focus on Gray's face at all, but is more of a portrait of her nautch dance. It is very curvilinear, really made of a series of arches that connect in a most feminine way. Gregory created his "Burlesque Dancer" at about the same time as "Nautch Dancer." As with the "Nautch Dancer," he focused on the movements of the body rather than on a facial portrait of Gray. Although Gregory never revealed the identity of his model for "Burlesque Dancer," a clue to her identity is revealed in the sculpture's earlier title, "Shimmy Dance." The dancer who was credited for creating the shimmy dance was also Gilda Gray. According to dance legend, Gray introduced the shimmy when she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and forgot some of the lyrics, so, in her embarrassment, started shaking her shoulders and hips but she did not move her legs. Such movement seems to relate to the "Burlesque Dancer" sculpture, where repeated triangular forms extend from the upper torso and hips. This rapid movement suggests the influence of Italian Futurism, as well as the planar motion of Alexander Archipenko, a sculptor whom Gregory much admired. The Cowan Pottery was a victim of the great depression, and in 1932, Gregory changed careers as a sculptor in the ceramics industry to that of an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was perhaps the most prestigious place to study modern design in America. Its faculty included the architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Carl Milles. Although Gregory was only at Cranbrook for one and one half years, he created some of his finest works there, including his "Kansas Madonna" (fig. 3). But, after arriving at Cranbrook, the Gregory's had to face emerging financial pressures. Although Gregory and his wife were provided with complimentary lodgings, all other income had to stem from the sale of artworks and tuition from students that he, himself, had to solicit. Gregory had many people assisting him with production methods at the Cowan Pottery, but now worked largely by himself. And although he still used molds, especially in creating porcelain works, many of his major new sculptures would be unique and sculpted by hand, as is true of "Kansas Madonna." The scale of Gregory's works were getting notably larger at Cranbrook than at Cowan. Gregory left the surface of "Kansas Madonna" totally unglazed. Although some might object to using a religious title to depict a horse nursing its colt, it was considered one of Gregory's most successful works. In fact, it had a whole color page illustration in an article about ceramic sculpture titled, "The Art with the Inferiority Complex," Fortune Magazine, December, 1937. The article notes the sculpture was romantic and expressive and the sculpture was priced at $1,500.00; the most expensive sculpture in the article. Gregory was from Kansas, and "Kansas Madonna" should be considered a major sculptural document of Regionalism. Gregory and his wife Yolande moved to New Jersey in the summer of 1933. And the artist began construction on his new home in the Watchung Mountains of Bound Brook (Warren today) in 1938. His enormous, custom kiln was probably constructed at the start of 1938. Gregory's new sculptures were the largest ceramic sculptures in western art, in modern times. To create these works of ceramic virtuosity, the artist developed a "honeycomb" technique, in which an infrastructure of compartments was covered by a ceramic "skin." Science and atomic energy were a theme in Gregory's most significant work, the "Fountain of the Atom" (fig. 4), at the 1939 New York's World Fair. This major work included twelve monumental ceramic figures at the fairground entrance from the newly constructed railway entrance, giving the work great visibility and prominence. The framework of the fountain itself was of steel and glass bricks. It consisted of a bluish green pool which was sixty five feet in diameter. Above it were two concentric circular tiers, or terraces, as Gregory called them; the first wider than the second. On the first terrace were eight "Electrons," comprised of four male and four female terra cotta figures, each approximately 48 inches high. These relate to the valance shell of the atom. Above them on a narrower terrace, were the much larger and heavier terra cotta figures depicting the four elements, each averaging about 78 inches in height and weighing about a ton and a half. Of the four, "Water" and "Air" were male, while "Earth" and "Fire" were female. This terrace represents the nucleus of the atom. In the center of the fountain, above the "Elements," was a central shaft comprised of sixteen glass tubes from which water tumbled down from tier to tier. At the top, a colorful flame burned constantly. The glass block tiers were lit from within, the whole creating a glowing and gurgling effect. Since the fair was temporary, the figures could be removed after its closing. But the credit for the design of the structure of the fountain belongs to collaborator Nembhard Culin, who was responsible for several other structures on the fair grounds as well. Although Gregory created a figure of "Fire" for the "Fountain of the Atom," he also executed a second, slightly smaller but more defined version which he exhibited at various locations (including Cranbrook, Baltimore Museum, etc.) in 1940-1941, during the second year of the fair (fig.5). Measuring 61 inches in height, "Fire" may be a metaphor for sexual energy, as well as atomic energy. Gregory stated, "Fire is represented by an aquiline female figure being consumed in endless arabesques of flame." Portraiture was also a significant focus of Gregory's sculpture. Gregory produced many commissioned portraits of local people as well as celebrities. He created Albert Einstein's portrait from life (fig. 6, ca. 1940) after Einstein had seen Gregory's "Fountain of the Atom." He also sculpted some of the leading figures in entertainment, including 2 sculptures of Henry Fonda, who became a personal friend. Gregory also sculpted a series of idealized female heads, both in terra cotta and in porcelain. These include "Girl with Olive" (ca. 1932) and "Cretan Girl;"(ca. 1937) both are very reductive and almost abstract works that call to mind Constantine Brancusi's "Mademoiselle Pogany" (1912, Philadelphia Museum of Art). But perhaps one of his most original female heads is "Head of a Child" (fig. 7, ca. 1933), a sensitive white glazed terra cotta portrayal with elaborately crafted braded hair, was originally created as one of a pair. Gregory also produced sculptural works for the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was a work relief project that greatly helped artists during the great depression. Founded by the Federal Government in 1935, an estimated 2500 murals were produced. Among these public works were the iconic post office murals. But, among the painted murals were also sculptural relief murals including Gregory's "R.F.D.," 1938, for the Columbus, Kansas Post Office. But, Gregory's largest WPA relief...
Category

1930s Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

"MySpace Tom No. 7" Textile Portrait, Glitch Motif, Crochet Acrylic
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "MySpace Tom No. 7" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crochet acrylic. This piece measures 30"h x 33"w framed...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Textile, Yarn

Limestone figure of Virgin and child, Lorraine, 14th century, French Gothic
Located in PARIS, FR
Virgin and Child with Goldfinch Workshops of Metz, Lorraine, circa 1330 Limestone carved in the round with remains of polychromy Height: 61 cm The sculpture of the Virgin and Child ...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Gothic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Limestone

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