Famous Sculptors

There are many famous sculptures all over this world, but what makes famous sculptors deserve that title? Their work must stand the test of time. Their work must challenge the preexisting styles of sculpture. They must show us something unique. The following sculptors have done just that.

When you think of famous sculptors, Michelangelo Buonarroti will most certainly come to mind.

Michelangelo was a well-known sculptor, painter, architect, and poet during the Italian Renaissance. Two of his best-known works, Pieta and the David, are still visited and revered to this day. Both were sculpted between his late twenties and early thirties. The Pieta, a sculpture made from marble, is located in Rome, in St. Peter's Basilica. It portrays Jesus after his Crucifixion in the arms of his mother, Mary. A Renaissance ideal of harmony, beauty, and restraint is displayed in the statue. The David, completed in 1504, was carved from marble, as well. It depicts the Biblical King David before his battle and subsequent defeat of the giant Goliath. Located in the Galleria d'Accademia in Florence, standing 17 feet tall in height, the David has come to be a symbol of Renaissance in Florence. Due to the success of his artwork, Michelangelo is still considered one of the most famous sculptors to date.

Italy is not the only country that is the birthplace for famous sculptors; Auguste Rodin was a famous French sculptor. In terms of modern sculpture, Rodin played a pivotal role in its history. He was very well known for his bronze sculpture The Thinker, located in Paris. It portrays a man meditating, fist tucked under his chin. It has been said that it could be a symbol for Philosophy; man stuck in a powerful internal struggle. Another of his celebrated sculptures was The Kiss, though it has caused a great deal of controversy over the years. Carved from marble, the statue is of an embracing couple, and is considered to display eroticism between a couple in an overt manner. Rodin is known as France's best known artist, though his style often rebels against more traditional work.

Moving along to famous sculptors from Britain, we find Henry Moore. Moore was well-known for his large-scale abstract sculptures made from bronze and marble. Moore was said to have introduced Modernism into the United Kingdom. He depicted real figures in a simplistic way, leaving only an illusion of the form for the imagination to interpret. His signature form was of the reclining figure, which was influenced by a Toltec-Maya sculpture known as Chac Mool. His subjects were usually abstractions of the human figure, most often mother and child or reclining figures. In fact, many of his famous sculptures were titled by his signature form, such as Reclining Figure, or Three Piece Reclining Figure Draped. Moore's abstract monumental bronzes are displayed publicly around the world.

Alberto Giacometti was a famous sculptor from Switzerland. He became known as one of the leading surrealist sculptors of his day, creating elongated and stretched out limbs for his figures. His bronze sculptures, such as his Three Men Walking II, portrayed figures that were very thin and small. His sculptures challenged viewers to transcend everyday reality and use imagination when looking at his work. Later in his life, he was known as a key player in the Existentialist movement. The Existentialist movement was the artistic search for the meaning of life and existence.

These are just four famous sculptors from a history of many. Each brought a new and contrasting form to sculpture. Whether Renaissance or Surrealist, Italian or British, these sculptors have left a mark on the art world forever. These men will be remembered through history as famous sculptors.