Skip to main content
Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions

What is a metal sculpture?

1 Answer
What is a metal sculpture?
A sculpture created from materials made of metal. This is a broad category. Metal sculptures can be made by fabrication, meaning assembled by hand or machine. Cast metal sculpture like bronze or steel is made from a complex casting process.
Glenn Green Galleries
Glenn Green GalleriesFebruary 24, 2021
Shop for Standing Metal Sculpture on 1stDibs
Salvatore Messina, Large Geometric Free Standing Metal Sculpture, Italy, 1970s
By Salvatore Messina
Located in Milan, IT
Large aluminum abstract sculpture by Salvatore Messina.
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Aluminum

Gala - Organic metal standing sculpture
By ENNAIA
Located in Weslaco, TX
This piece stands out for its slender and cylindrical shape, as well as for its curved lines that, superimposed on different planes, give a special sensation of depth and movement. G...
Category

2010s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Steel, Stainless Steel

Horselaugh Free-Standing Metal Horse Sculpture
By Debbie Korbel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Horselaugh" by Debbie Korbel is a handmade stainless steel sculpture mounted on a black post
Category

2010s American Animal Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Mid Century Curtis Jere Metal Standing Tree Sculpture
By Curtis Jeré
Located in New York, NY
Tree form sculpture made of cut metal circles and brass rods mounted to a gilt wood branch. The
Category

20th Century American Sculptures

Materials

Metal

"Queen Bee Standing", Abstract, Steel Metal Sculpture by Isobel Folb Sokolow
By Isobel Folb Sokolow
Located in New York, NY
"Queen Bee Standing" by Isobel Folb Sokolow Welded, found metal and automotive steel Sokolow
Category

1990s Abstract Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Steel

Cut Metal Brutalist Modern Abstract Cut Metal Standing Sculpture
By Paul Evans, Erwine & Estelle Laverne
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Studio made artist-signed Brutalist cut steel abstract standing sculpture standing on 8 x 8 square
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Shop All
Shop More art from Glenn Green Galleries on 1stDibs
A Soul Consoled, Khang Pham-New, monumental, granite sculpture, mother and child
By Khang Pham-New
Located in Santa Fe, NM
A Soul Consoled, Khang Pham-New, monumental, granite sculpture, mother and child Additional time will be added for works on this scale. Contact us or 1st Dibs to arrange for shipping details...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Granite

Night by Khang Pham-New, large abstract granite sculpture, grey, white, polished
By Khang Pham-New
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Night by Khang Pham-New, large abstract granite sculpture, grey, white, polished This sculpture will take extra time for delivery. Co...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Granite

Matrimony, red granite sculpture, heart, by Khang Pham-New, indoor, outdoor
By Khang Pham-New
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Matrimony, red granite sculpture, heart, by Khang Pham-New, indoor, outdoor Contact us about delivery options. 1,500 lbs
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Granite

Cloudy, Aluminum, Sculpture, by Kerry Green, Silver, Clouds, Stacked, Outdoor
By Kerry Green
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Cloudy, aluminum, sculpture, by Kerry Green, silver, clouds, stacked, outdoor limited edition of 8 signed and numbered by the artist on the base Since childhood, Kerry Green has always been creative; painting, drawing, sculpting, and sewing. Her family provided her with materials and encouraged her efforts. She literally grew up in her parents’ art galleries, and with them toured the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Japan, and New Zealand, seeing museums and visiting artists’ studios. Growing up in Arizona and New Mexico gave her the opportunity to explore the Native reservations there where she has made life-long friendships. Several of her very early influences were Dr. Harry Wood...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal

San Carlos Girl, bronze, sculpture, by Allan Houser, Apache, woman, brown
By Allan Houser
Located in Santa Fe, NM
San Carlos Girl, bronze, sculpture, by Allan Houser, Apache, woman, brown lifetime casting limited edition Allan Houser (Haozous), Chiricahua Apache 1914-1994 recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1992. Allan Houser's father Sam, was part of the small band of Apaches who traveled with Geronimo and surrendered in southern Arizona in 1886. Allan's parents were imprisoned with that group in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He was the first child to be born in freedom to those Apaches and a fluent speaker of the Chiricahua language. Allan Houser is an important artist because he is of the culture he depicts in his artwork. Allan's parents would tell stories and sing songs recalling the experiences on the warpath. Our gallery represented Allan Houser from 1974 until his passing in 1994 and were investors and provided quality control in the foundry process. Allan Houser's work is in many international collections including the Georges Pompidou Centre, The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and The Dahlem Museum among others. Allan Houser (Haozous), Chiricahua Apache (1914-1994) Selected Collections Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France * “They’re Coming”, bronze Dahlem Museum, Berlin, Germany Japanese Royal Collection, Tokyo, Japan “The Eagle”, black marble commissioned by President William J. Clinton United States Mission to the United Nations, New York City, NY *"Offering of the Sacred Pipe”, monumental bronze by Allan Houser © 1979 Presented to the United States Mission to the United Nations as a symbol of World Peace honoring the native people of all tribes in these United States of America on February 27, 1985 by the families of Allan and Anna Marie Houser, George and Thelma Green and Glenn and Sandy Green in New York City. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, DC * Portrait of Geronimo, bronze National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. * “Buffalo Dance Relief”, Indiana limestone National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. *Sacred Rain Arrow, (Originally dedicated at the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, US Senate Building) “Goat”, “To The Great Spirit” - dedicated in 1994 at the Vice President’s Residence in Washington, D.C.. The ceremony officiated by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Tipper Gore. Oklahoma State Capitol, Oklahoma City, Ok * “As Long As the Waters Flow”, bronze Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK *Sacred Rain Arrow, bronze Fort Sill, Oklahoma *” Chiricahua Apache Family”, bronze Donated and dedicated to Allan Houser’s parents Sam and Blossom Haozous by Allan Houser and Glenn and Sandy Green The Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona *Earth Song, marble donated by Glenn and Sandy Green The Clinton Presidential Library, Arkansas * “May We Have Peace”, bronze The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas *"Offering to the Great Spirit", bronze The British Royal Collection, London, England *Princess Anne received "Proud Mother", bronze in Santa Fe Allan Houser’s father Sam Haozous, surrendered at the age of 14 with Geronimo and his band of Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache people in 1886 in Southern Arizona. This was the last active war party in the United States. This group of Apache people was imprisoned for 27 years starting in Fort Marion, Florida and finally living in captivity in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Allan Houser was born in 1914. His artwork is an ongoing testimony to Native life in America – its beauty, strength and poignancy. Allan Houser is from the culture and portrayed his people in an insightful and authentic way. Because of the era in which he lived, he had a rare understanding of American Indian life. Allan was the first child born after the Chiricahua Apaches were released from 27 years of captivity. Allan grew up speaking the Chiricahua dialect. Allan heard his father’s stories of being on the warpath with Geronimo and almost nightly heard his parents singing traditional Apache music. Allan’s father knew all of Geronimo’s medicine songs. Allan had an early inclination to be artistic. He was exposed to many Apache ceremonial art forms: music, musical instruments, special dress, beadwork, body painting and dynamic dance that are integral aspects of his culture. His neighbors were members of many different tribes who lived in Oklahoma. Allan eagerly gained information about them and their cultures. Allan gathered this information and mentally stored images until he brought them back to life, years later, as a mature artist. Allan Houser was represented by Glenn Green Galleries (formerly known as The Gallery Wall, Inc.) from 1973 until his death in 1994. The gallery served as agents, advocates, and investors during this time. In 1973 the Greens responded enthusiastically to the abstraction and creativity in Houser’s work. They were impressed, not only with his versatility and talent but with the number of mediums he employed. His subject matter was portrayed in styles ranging from realism, stylized form to abstraction. With encouragement from the Greens, Houser at the age of 61, retired from his post as the head of the sculpture department at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1975 to begin working full-time creating his art. The next 20-year period was an exciting time for Allan, the gallery, and for the Green family. He created a large body of sculpture in stone, wood and bronze. For many years Glenn Green Galleries co-sponsored many editions of his bronzes and acted as quality control for the bronze sculptures according to Houser’s wishes. As both agents and gallery representatives, the Greens promoted and sold his art in their galleries in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona and in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They had bi-annual exhibits in their galleries to feature Houser’s newest work and sponsored and arranged international museum shows in America, Europe and Asia. They travelled for these events including a trip to Carrara, Italy to the famed quarries of Michelangelo and together co-financed and arranged the purchase of 20 tons of marble. A watershed event for Allan Houser’s career occurred in the early 1980’s when Glenn Green Galleries arranged with the US Information Agency a touring exhibit of his sculpture through Europe. This series of exhibits drew record attendance for these museums and exposed Houser’s work to an enthusiastic art audience. This resulted in changing the perception of contemporary Native art in the United States where Houser and Glenn Green Galleries initially faced resistance from institutions who wanted to categorize him in a regional way. The credits from the European exhibits helped open doors and minds of the mainstream art community in the United States and beyond. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii was a supporter of Allan Houser’s artwork. We worked with Senator Inouye on many occasions hosting events at our gallery and in Washington D.C in support of the formation of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and other causes supporting Native Americans. Allan Houser is shown below presenting his sculpture “Swift Messenger” to Senator Inouye in Washington, D.C.. This sculpture was eventually given to the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian’s permanent collection. It is now currently on loan and on display in the Oval Office. President Biden’s selection of artwork continues our gallery’s and Allan’s connection to the White House from our time working with Allan Houser from 1974 until his passing in 1994. “It was important for President Biden to walk into an Oval that looked like America and started to show the landscape of who he is going to be as president,” Ashley Williams...
Category

1970s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Eagle Kachina, painting, by Dan Namingha, vertical, brown, red, black, turquoise
By Dan Namingha
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Eagle Kachina, painting, by Dan Namingha, vertical, brown, red, black, turquoise We present paintings, prints, and sculptures by Southwestern luminary, DAN NAMINGHA. Our collection ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Corn Kachina, by Riley Sunrise, Quoyavema, Hopi, Kachina, Dancer, painting
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Corn Kachina, by Riley Sunrise, Quoyavema, Hopi, Kachina, Dancer, painting Artist Signature - Riley Sunrise (1914-2006) Quoyavema “Another of the earlier Hopi artists, Riley Sunrise (Quoyavema) worked with Fred Kabotie and Waldo Mootzka in illustrating John Louw Nelson’s Rhythm for Rain. He is also known as Quoyavema or Kwayeshva, according to Nelson. His paintings are comparable to Fred Kabotie’s, with some of them showing more action and most of them revealing less detail. Sunrise is represented in the collections of the Denver Art Museum, Gilcrease Institute (Tulsa), and the Southwest Museum. The Museum of the American Indian in New York has an extensive collection of his paintings of native Hopi dances.” (Clara Lee Tanner: Southwest Indian...
Category

1940s Tribal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

Shop All