“Building Blocks” Bronze Sculpture by Tanya Ragir, Signed Numbered 1/9, 1999

Before achieving fame for her figurative sculptures, Los Angeles-based artist Tanya Ragir was one of the top mannequin sculptors in the United States. Drawing on her background in modern dance, ballet and jazz, Ragir evokes movement and expression in her art while weaving a complex narrative on the relationships between the female form and nature.

Ragir was born in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1976 where she studied in the foundry program and in classes with sculptors Fred Hunnicutt and Jack Zajac. Ragir later worked under a ceramist, developing her talent for molding with clay. 

She excelled at making clay mannequins and opened her own business, starting with a children’s line before expanding to adult-size pieces. Her business achieved acclaim throughout the industry. Sculpting had become her craft; her art became an expansion into female forms and their relationships with the land. 

Formed in clay, her works are cast in a range of materials such as bronze, aluminum, stainless steel and resin. Each piece expresses emotion and vulnerability. Ragir has exhibited her work in museums and galleries across the United States and around the world, including at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in 2014 and in 2016 at the bG Gallery in Santa Monica. She holds an elected position within the National Sculpture Society and the Southern California Women’s Caucus for Art. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Tanya Ragir’s decorative objects, wall decorations and furniture and collectibles.