Sculpture is too often forgotten behind painting. Yet it is the oldest and most universal art form. Here are 15 essential sculptures, from the most ancient to the most modern.
Antiquity
Venus de Milo (around 130-100 BC) — At the Louvre. Hellenistic Greek statue found on the island of Milos in 1820. The missing arms remain one of art history’s most famous mysteries.
Myron’s Discobolus (around 460 BC) — Original lost, Roman copies. Depicts a discus thrower in mid-action. Symbol of the Greek athletic ideal.
Winged Victory of Samothrace (around 190 BC) — At the Louvre. Winged goddess perched on a ship’s prow. Drapery carved with unmatched virtuosity.
Laocoon and His Sons (around 30 BC) — At the Vatican Museums. Depicts a Trojan priest and his sons strangled by serpents. Model of dramatic tension for the Renaissance.
Renaissance and Baroque
David (Michelangelo, 1501-1504) — At the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. 5.17 meters, marble. Symbol of republican Florence facing Goliath (political enemies). Idealized anatomy.
Pieta (Michelangelo, 1499) — At St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Mary holding the dead Christ. Executed by a 24-year-old Michelangelo.
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (Bernini, 1647-1652) — At the Santa Maria della Vittoria church in Rome. Peak of the Baroque. Mysticism and sensuality inseparable.
Apollo and Daphne (Bernini, 1622-1625) — At the Borghese Gallery. Captures the exact moment of Daphne’s transformation into a laurel tree.
19th century
The Statue of Liberty (Bartholdi, 1886) — In New York. 46 meters with the pedestal. Gift from France to the US. French sculptor Bartholdi, internal structure by Gustave Eiffel.
The Thinker (Rodin, 1880) — Rodin Museum in Paris. Originally for the Gates of Hell, became a universal icon of reflection.
The Kiss (Rodin, 1882) — Rodin Museum. Embracing couple. Apparently inspired by Dante’s Paolo and Francesca.
20th and 21st centuries
The Burghers of Calais (Rodin, 1889) — Multiple casts (Calais, London, Paris). Depicts the historical episode of the Hundred Years’ War when six notables surrendered to the English to save their city.
Bird in Space (Brancusi, 1923) — Several versions. Stripped-down modern sculpture. Sparked a scandal with US customs who refused to recognize it as “art.”
The Kelpies (Andy Scott, 2013) — In Scotland. Two 30-meter horse heads in steel. The tallest equine sculpture pair in the world.
Cloud Gate (Anish Kapoor, 2006) — The “Bean” in Chicago. Polished steel sculpture reflecting the city. Now a Chicago symbol.
Mount Rushmore (Gutzon Borglum, 1927-1941) — South Dakota. Four American presidents carved directly into rock. Face height: 18 meters.
How to remember
Tie to a location. Venus de Milo = Louvre. David = Florence. Statue of Liberty = New York. Pieta = Vatican. Geography helps.
Tie to a period. Antiquity: Greek sculpture. Renaissance: Michelangelo. Baroque: Bernini. Modern: Rodin, Brancusi.
Identify the material. Marble for the Renaissance, bronze for Rodin and Bernini, steel for contemporaries.
SAPIRO offers quizzes on 553 works including sculpture, with an educational explanation behind each question. Worth reading: 30 famous paintings to know.