The World's Most Expensive Sculptures

The World's Most Expensive Sculptures

Sculptures are detailed works of art, with many sculpture artists taking years to create some of their most famous pieces. Whether you're partial to Rodin's The Thinker or The Urfa Man—the oldest sculpture of a human being known to exist, these gorgeous works are often displayed in a museum or as part of private art collections. Exquisite and expensive, sculptures are some of our most precious connections to the past. Let's examine some of the world's most expensive sculptures.

Urs Fisher's "Lamp Bear"

Created between 2005 and 2006 by Swiss visual artist Urs Fisher, Lamp Bear resembles a bear wearing a lampshade as a cap. At first glance, the bear seems like a leather-covered toy. The statue is made almost entirely of bronze and weighs 20 tons. In 2011, it sold to a private collector for $6.8 million.

Asthma.03, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Marino Marini's "Rider"

Cast in 1936 by Italian sculptor Marino Marini, Rider is a small work of bronze, measuring just 34.75 inches tall x 31.25 inches wide, Rider depicts a rider on a horse that's bucking and jerking, readying itself to throw the rider off. After spending over 50 years in the collection of a Swedish lady, the sculpture sold at auction for $7.15 million.

Marino Marini, Wikimedia Commons

Julio Gonzalez's "Mask Of Shadow And Light"

Crafted by the modernist sculpturist, Julio Gonzalez of Spain, Mask of Shadow And Light was cast in bronze sometime in the 1930s. Friends with Picasso, it was said that Gonzalez could "manipulate metal like butter". Gonzalez's Mask of Shadow And Light sold at Sotheby's in 2011 for $7.45 million.

Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Cy Twombly's "Rome"

A more modern sculptor on our list is Cy Twombly, an American painter and sculptor born in 1928. He passed away in 2011, after which his tall bronze sculpture, Rome, sold at Christie's Auctions for $7.7 million in 2013. The work is considered an homage to the antiquity period, thanks to the inclusion of bronze poppies. It's also considered a tribute to Alberto Giacometti, a famous Swiss sculptor.

David Lees, Getty images

Bust Of Roman Consul Germanicus

It's not known who created this incredible marble bust of Roman consul and military officer Germanicus—the father of Caligula (yes, that one)—but it's one of only two in the world. This one is housed at the Louvre, while the other is in the British Museum. Coming from the collection of a Duke of Elgin in Scotland, the bust of Germanicus fetched a staggering $8.6 million in 2012.

Getty Villa, Wikimedia Commons

Astride Maillol's "The River"

Cast in lead or bronze (we're not quite sure), Astride Maillol's La Riviere (The River) was seen as a commentary on feminism in the 1930s. Maillol's work covered a range of subjects, but mostly featured posing women, often in signals of distress. Maillol's La Riviere fetched $8.3 million at auction in 2013.

Aristide Maillol, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Bruce Nauman's "Helpless Henry Moore"

Depicting a man with his arms and hands bound behind his back, the American sculptor Bruce Nauman used wax and plaster to create Helpless Henry Moore. Who is Henry Moore? Well, he was a prominent English sculptor, from whom Nauman likely drew inspiration. In 2001, Christie's auctions sold Helpless Henry Moore to a private collector for $9.9 million.

Patrick McMullan, Getty Images

Antonio Canova's "The Three Graces"

There are two forms of Antonio Canova's The Three Graces. They are a large marble sculpture of Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia, three Greek goddesses that were thought to signify beauty to the ancient Greeks. He sculpted them between 1814 and 1817 before passing away in 1822. The first of Canova's two forms is exhibited at The Hermitage building in Nashville, Tennessee. The second moves between the Victoria And Albert Museum in London and the National Gallery of Scotland. It was the second sculpture that sold for $11.5 million to a private collector.

Francesco Scarfia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Barberini Venus

The Barberini Venus is of unknown origin, but is a Roman copy of a Greek original—Aphrodite of Knidos, created around the 4th century BC. Now residing in the Barberini collection in Rome, the Barberini Venus sold to an Englishman, William Waddel, in 2002 for an estimated $11.64 million.

MrArifnajafov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Donald Judd's "Untitled"

A sculpture from the 1960s, Donald's Judd's work using wood, aluminum and galvanized steel almost represents a very orange garage door. Nevertheless, the simplistic, minimalistic-to-the-max work sold for $14.16 million in 2013, approximately $4 million over the estimate given by Christie's auction.

DON EMMERT, Getty Images

"The Reclining Female Figure"

Discovered in the Cyclades Archipelago in the Aegean Sea, The Reclining Female Figure is a gorgeously ornate sculpture, thought to have been built by inhabitants of the Cyclades Archipelago around 2400 BC. It sold at Sotheby's in 2010 for $16.8 million.

Daderot, Wikimedia Commons

Maurizio Cattelan's "Him"

Known simply as Him, the small Italian sculpture of a kneeling Adolf Hitler is made from wax, human hair, textiles, and rubber. The sculpture sold for $17.89 million in 2016.

Leon Neal, Getty images

Edgar Degas' "Little Dancer"

Made of bronze, wood, muslin, and Satin, Edgar Degas' sculpture of 14-year-old Parisian dancer Marie van Getem was exhibited in 1881, standing 41 inches tall. Although four copies were made of Little Dancer, the original Degas sold at Sotheby's in 2009 for $18.8 million.

Edgar Degas, Wikimedia Commons

Leda And The Swan

Another Roman copy of an original Greek work is Leda And The Swan, of unknown origin. The head of the statue was actually placed upon it from a statue of Venus, with much of the other original work being restored in the 18th century. In 2011, Leda and the Swan sold at Sotheby's for $19.1 million.

Getty Villa, Wikimedia Commons

Auguste Rodin's "Eternal Spring"

Rodin needs no introduction—the French sculptor is a legendary figure in the art world. Eternal Spring is one of his famous works, crafted out of marble and featuring an embracing young couple. It went up for auction at Sotheby's in 2016. The final price for one of the French master's pieces? $20.41 million.

Daderot, Wikimedia Commons

Yves Klein's "Suspended"

The French artist created Suspended quite by accident. One day, he noticed that the blue sponges he'd been using to dab paint off his canvas created their own beautiful blue hue. Upon noticing this, he created Suspended, a collection of these small pieces of sponge, caked in blue paint, suspended by a thin metal wire. It gives the appearance of a flower petal. Although unsold, Suspended, at Sotheby's, was estimated to be $22 million in 2013.

Jaredzimmerman (WMF), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dave Smith's "Cubi, XXVIII"

This massive sculpture by metal artist David Smith combines steel to make a series of geometric shapes, called Cubi. The XXVIII edition was placed in the Guggenheim Museum until David Smith's death in 1965, in a tragic car accident. Following this, it was auctioned at Sotheby's and sold to prominent American businessmen Eli Broad for $23.8 million.

Israel Museum, Wikimedia Commons

The Bust Of Antinous

The Bust of Antinous is an homage to Antinous, a young man from Rome who was deified on the orders of Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian had a bust created of Antinous, who was thought to be one of his lovers. In 2010, The Bust of Antinous went up for auction and lasted 11 minutes, with the final bid securing the figure for $23.8 million. 

George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Alexander Calder's "Flying Fish"

Alexander Calder was a revolutionary 20th-century artist that crafted Calder Mobiles, pieces of metallic artwork that were suspended by small wires and used the wind to move. The first iterations of the mobiles were often used as windchimes, or to lull babies to sleep. The most expensive of these sculptures was Flying Fish, which sold at Christie's in 2014 for $25.5 million.

Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia Commons

Adrien De Vries' "Bacchic Figure Holding A Globe"

This bronze statue of a man holding the globe up is supposed to represent Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. The figure sold for $27.9 million at a Christie's auction in 2014.

Hans von Aachen, Wikimedia Commons

Louise Bourgeois' "Spider"

If you suffer from arachnophobia, look away now. Louise Bourgeois' Spider, created in 1997, is an eight-legged creature made entirely of bronze. Standing 25 feet tall, the huge sculpture sold for $28.1 million at Sotheby's in 2015.

Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Artemis With A Doe

The goddess of the hunt, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the sister of Apollo. One of her most famous sculptures is Artemis With A Doe. Of unknown origin, it was sculpted around the 1st century BC and stands 36 inches tall. Depicting a playful young girl with a doe, the sculpture sold at Sotheby's in 2007 for $28.6 million.

smerikal, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Pablo Picasso's "Dora Maar"

Cast in bronze in 1941, Pablo Picasso's head of a woman, known as Dora Maar, was said to be a lover of his. In 2007, Picasso's Dora Maar piece sold at Sotheby's for $29.2 million.

WILLIAM WEST, Getty Images

Willem De Kooning's "Clam Digger"

First modeled in clay in 1972, De Kooning's Clam Digger was then cast in bronze in 1976. The figurine is on display in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, having been sold at Sotheby's in 2014 for a staggering $29.28 million.

DatBot, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Paul Gauguin's "Therese"

Carved from the wood of a thespesia tree, with gold used for a wrist bangle and waistbelt, Therese was one of the French sculptor and painter's best-known works, carved between 1902 and 1903. It sold at Christie's in 2015 for $30.96 million.

Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel, Wikimedia Commons

Henri Matisse's "Nude's Back"

This bronze cast is one of the French artist's most well-known works. Copies of the work are on display at the Tate Gallery, the Pompidou Center and the Museum of Modern Art, but one cast of Nude's Back sold for $48.8 million.

Alvin Langdon Coburn, Wikimedia Commons

The Guennol Lioness

Standing at just over eight inches tall, the Guennol Lioness is one of the world's oldest sculptures, allegedly carved out of limestone around 3000-2800 BCE. The Guennol Lioness sold for $57.2 million in 2007 at Sotheby's.

http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/plantsciences_Faculty/Bloom/CAMEL/economics.html, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Amedeo Modigliani's "Woman's Head"

Thought to bear a strong connection to African culture, Amedeo Modigliani's Woman's Head was first sculpted out of stone in 1912. The piece is owned by Frank Burty, a collector—it is thought to be worth $70.7 million.

Amedeo Modigliani, Wikimedia Commons

Constantin Brâncuși's "Dainty Girl"

Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși sculpted Dainty Girl in 1932, a bronze statue on a marble pedestal, standing 31 inches tall. Dainty Girl was evaluated by Christie's auction house to be worth $71 million in 2018.

DON EMMERT, Getty Images

Jeff Koons "Rabbit" 

This incredible sculpture made of stainless steel is one of the most iconic works of art of the 20th century. Completed in 1986, Rabbit is a faceless sculpture with pointy ears and well-proportioned legs and arms. In May 2019, Rabbit went up for auction at Christie's, selling for $91.1 million.

Steve Parsons - PA Images, Getty Images

Damien Hirst's "For The Love Of God"

Damien Hirst dominated Britain's art scene in the 1990s and his 2007 work For The Love Of God is one of the most expensive sculptures in human history. A platinum cast of a perfect 19th-century human skull, Hirst inlaid 8,601 flawless diamonds into the skull, including a pear-shaped pink diamond, known as the Skull Star Diamond. The skull's teeth are the original teeth and were preserved and purchased by Hirst in London before he completed the work. Hirst has said that the work was sold to a consortium for $100 million in cash.

Niccolo Guasti, Getty Images

Alberto Giacometti's "Pointing Man"

The famous Italian sculptor Giacometti created L'homme au doight, or Pointing Man, in 1947. Casting the 69-inch tall figure in bronze, the statue features a man with thin legs and arms, pointing and looking ahead. One of Giacometti's most famous sculptures, Pointing Man is worth approximately $141.7 million at Christie's, but has yet to sell.

Meenween, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Theft Of Henry Moore's "Reclining Figure"

Remember Helpless Henry Moore? Well, Moore's Reclining Figure, cast in bronze between 1969 and 1970, was said to be worth around $5 million. It was involved in an audacious heist from a Hertfordshire estate in England in 2005. The massive sculpture was loaded onto a flatbed truck, cut up that same evening, and sold for scraps in Rotterdam, Holland for $3,000.

Allan warren, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons