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Realist Sculptures

REALIST STYLE

Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world. 

Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history. 

By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.

Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.

Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.

​​Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Realist
Color:  Gray
Ceramic Wall Sculpture of Crow #8
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Cv upon request Karla Walter is an American artist who explores similarities between the social interactions among crows and that of individuals in our society. Karla Walter went to ...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Ceramic, Swarovski Crystals, Wall Sculpture of Crow Head
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Cv upon request Karla Walter is an American artist who explores similarities between the social interactions among crows and that of individuals in our society. Karla Walter went to ...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Ceramic Wall Sculpture of Crow #15
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Cv upon request Karla Walter is an American artist who explores similarities between the social interactions among crows and that of individuals in our society. Karla Walter went to ...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

…dans le bonheur I
Located in Marrakech, MA
| About the work This particular artwork is part of the serie dans le bonheur, started in 2009 with a special request from Elysee Palace in Paris, the larger scale swimmer was acqui...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Epoxy Resin

…dans le bonheur II
Located in Marrakech, MA
| About the work This particular artwork is part of the serie dans le bonheur, started in 2009 with a special request from Elysee Palace in Paris that was acquired by the National M...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Epoxy Resin

#1913 Rooster Brothers (cut out sculpture)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery -- This work is about what I do while I write letters and think about all these urgent, global concerns and feel frustrated and powerless. I dri...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Sculptures

Materials

Mylar, PVC, Oil

#1911 Einstein Gorilla (cut out sculpture)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. This work is about what I do while I write letters and think about all these urgent, global concerns and feel frustrated and powerless. I drin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Sculptures

Materials

Mylar, PVC, Oil

#1724 Gang of Four (cut out sculpture)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. This work is about what I do while I write letters and think about all these urgent, global concerns and feel frustrated and powerless. I drin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Sculptures

Materials

Mylar, PVC, Oil

Medium Sail Boat
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. Pedro's sculpture's are whimsical and sophisticated. The sailboat series is affordable for the work involved in creating them. His use of mix...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Large Sail Boat
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. Pedro's sculpture's are whimsical and sophisticated. The sailboat series is affordable for the work involved in creating them. His use of mix...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Wisent (Żubr) XL model Lines WB
Located in KRAKÓW, PL
Wisent (Żubr) XL model Lines WB, 2022, glazed ceramics painted over glaze, 22 x 14 x 30 cm, on the bottom the author's logo and numerical description: 148/2016. Mariusz Dydo...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Salvatore Albano signed dated 19th century figurative italian marble sculpture
Located in Florence, IT
This marble bust, signed S. Albano dated 1890, belongs to his adult age and to the last years of his life, when he was already very requested and he had a prolific workshop in Florence. It represents a young peasant, portrayed with a simple handkerchief covering her hair and a shirt opened on the neckline to let us a see the crucifix cross, symbol of a sincere and innocent faith (the necklace appears in other is Albano’s works, like in the artist’s sister, Evangeline, Marguerite busts and in the Marguerite sculpture, all of them in private collections). The simple and tender subject is made with an exquisite technique, still quoting De Gubernatis “he can be enviable because he gives to the modelled flesh a singular transparency”, as we can see in the delicacy of the cheeks, nose, chin. His skills especially appear in the details: the locks naturally coming out, the light signs of the eyebrows, handkerchief with his thin folding line, the collar of the shirt bending on itself, the use of the drill for the rendering of the curly hair. Born in a small town in the deep South of Italy by a decent but very modest family, he developed artistic inclination since he was a child by modelling Nativity Scene characters for the people of his neighbour until the1858 when, thanks to the help of some oh his fellows recognising his talent, he moved to Naples to follow the lessons of the sculptor Antonio Sorbillo before starting his training at the Fine Art Academy with Tito Angelini...
Category

1890s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Praying Nail Tips Malverde
Located in Roma, RM
One piece from the Nail tips series in which the artist talks about the political situation in the USA
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Lynx inside and outdoor sculpture unique black wrough iron feline cat natural
Located in Milan, IT
The sculpture is a unique, unrepeatable piece. Can be an outdoor sculpture. The Lynx belongs to the cycle dedicated to local animals that the sculptor has been working on. The artwork has just been exhibited in the prestigious museum in Rovereto, the Mart, Italy's leading museum of modern and contemporary art. It has been created with a technique that the artist has perfected over his long experience. Furthermore, he learnt a few technical skills from his father, a sculptor of wrought iron too. A few artworks made by father and son are in significant private and public collections, the best known of which is the Melinda and Bill Gates...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Bamboo reeds, inside or outdoor wrough iron unique sculpture showed by Zanoni
By Luciano Zanoni
Located in Milan, IT
The price above is for each single sculpture, despite being thought of as a composition the items can be sold separately. Luciano Zanoni, a blacksmith by profession since his adoles...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Iron

The march of the crabs, series of wrought-iron sculptures by Italian blacksmith
Located in Milan, IT
Ivan Zanoni's expert craftsmanship shows us this composition of 5 handmade and unique sculptures that provide the effect of watching crabs emerge from the sea. The measure written a...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Marble Sculpture 19th Century White Carrara Marble Nude Man Wounded Nude
Located in Miami, FL
Signed and titled at the base, Sloan's Auctioneers, 1998 The work shows a peak moment of drama and is meticulously carved in the neo-classical style. Lion garment in the back with ...
Category

1870s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Alfreda, The Artist's Daughter - British 1950s plaster bust by Richard Garbe
Located in London, GB
RICHARD LOUIS GARBE, RA (1876-1957) Alfreda, The Artist’s Daughter Signed and dated 1956 Plaster with patinated surface on a wooden base 30 cm., 11 ¾ in. high Provenance: Gifted ...
Category

1950s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Wild Running Horse Three-Dimensional Painting Sculpture on Wood 40HX30" W
Located in Sherman Oaks, CA
Wild Running Horse Three-Dimensional Painting on Wood 40H X 30" W 2019 in Los Angeles Collaborative Artwork - Irena Orlov-Zeev Orlov SPECIFICATIONS: Combines Painting and Sculptur...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Warrior and Wounded Youth. Helmeted mustachioed man holding Wounded - Lion Face
Located in Miami, FL
Signed and titled at the base, Sloan's Auctioneers, 1998 The work shows a peak moment of drama and is meticulously carved in the neo-classical style. Lion garment in the back with ...
Category

1870s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Wild Running Horse Three-Dimensional Painting on Wood 40H X 30" W
Located in Sherman Oaks, CA
Wild Running Horse Three-Dimensional Painting on Wood 40H X 30" W 2019 in Los Angeles Collaborative Artwork - Irena Orlov-Zeev Orlov SPECIFICATIONS: Combines Painting and Sculptur...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

St Paul's Cathedral
Located in Santa Monica, CA
A new work by the artist
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Sculptures

Materials

Archival Paper, Mixed Media

19th Century Grand Tour Marble Bust of a Young Apollo
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Grand Tour Marble Bust of a Young Apollo (Late 19th Century) Marble bust on a swivel marble base Unsigned 24 ½" high x 21" wide x 9 1/2 " deep...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Portrait of Lady Lucy Henderson
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
John Edward Jones (Irish – 1806-1862) “Portrait of Lady Lucy Henderson” Signed and dated London 1858, and inscribed, “Lucy Henderson, Nee Durham” 28 ½” high x 20 ½” wide x 11” deep Provenance: Collection Saratoga Springs, NY About John Edward Jones was born in Dublin on May 2nd, 1806. He was the son of a miniature painter Edward Jones. He was trained as an engineer under Alexander Nimmo and worked with him on many important works in Ireland, including the building of the bridge at Waterford between 1829 in 1832, of which he was in charge. A taste and an aptitude for sculpture induced him to relinquish his prospects as an engineer and he commenced practice in London as a sculptor. He achieved considerable success, especially in portrait busts, and was employed by many notable persons of the time. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844 and continue to do so until his death. He executed a considerable number of bust of Irish personages. He paid occasional visits to Dublin where he contributed to the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1847, 1852,1853 and 1854. A full-length statue by him of Sir Robert...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Sculptures

Freedom From All by Fiona Morley - Wire and oil on canvas custom white frame
Located in Dallas, TX
Born in Hereford, England, Fiona Morley’s artwork is a combination of illustration and sculptural relief that is achieved with wire, as the line can be taken off the page and into sp...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Wire

Maki in terracotta
Located in Pasadena, CA
Nicole DORAY SOULARD. Animal ceramic sculptures, works centered on the forward. Nature and the study of bodies are sources of inspiration for her. She produces animals from all over...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Girafe in Terracotta
Located in Pasadena, CA
Nicole DORAY SOULARD. Animal ceramic sculptures, works centered on the forward. Nature and the study of bodies are sources of inspiration for her. She produces animals from all over...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Ballerina
Located in Greenwich, CT
Terracotta sculpture by Bruno Lucchesi of a ballerina.
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Pareja
Located in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Sculpture in wire mesh. Signed by the artist.
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Wire

Torso Masculino
Located in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
Maria Olga Garcia-Huidobro sculpture. Wire mesh with gauss and metal. Signature plate by the artist.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Wire

Ceramic Wall Sculpture of Crow #9 with Crystal in Beak
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Cv upon request Karla Walter is an American artist who explores similarities between the social interactions among crows and that of individuals in our society. Karla Walter went to ...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Redwood Forest Ecosystem
Located in Kansas City, MO
Grace Khalsa Redwood Forest Ecosystem Medium: Black stoneware and white slip Year: 2021 Size: 11" x 11" x .5" Description: Slip-trailed skeleton sculpture Signed COA provided (by representing gallery) ------------------------------ ARTIST STATEMENT “We humans are poised between microcosm and macrocosm, containing one, sensing the other, comprehending both.” - Frank Wilczek The focus of my work is to bring attention to natural forms and patterns that implicate vast interconnection. I am captivated by the diversity and intricacy of natural systems and I consistently find myself searching for commonalities within them. These commonalities provide me with a tangible form of navigating the intangible perceptions of existence. My most recent body of work examines and illustrates the skeletons of various animals. In looking closely at their anatomy, I find undeniable similarities indicating common evolution. Shared spines, ribs, teeth and vestigial structures are the signatures of millions of years of complex relationships. After sculpting the body of the animal, I then meticulously slip-trail each skeletal detail layer by layer. This process requires an understanding of how every layer, however small, will affect the greater whole. I see clay as a material of ‘deep time’ both in a geological and cultural sense. Fired clay, ceramic, is an archival material, a record keeper of human history. Taking the role of a scientific illustrator, these works are my mark in time, paying homage to the creatures they portray. I hope to highlight the pervasive entanglement of life and honor the delicate, nuanced relationships that exist between human and non-human. BIO Grace Khalsa is a ceramic artist from Knoxville, TN. She is currently an Artist in Residence at the Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, CA. Khalsa received her BFA in Art Practices with minors in Art History and Anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder. She has completed two years of Post-Baccalaureate study in ceramics, one year at the University of Colorado Boulder and one at Louisiana State University. Khalsa has exhibited work at the Artists Co-Op of Mendocino, Ann Connelly...
Category

2010s Realist Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Slip

Realist sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Frederick Hart, Gary Alsum, SOPHIE MARTIN, and Peter Brooke. Frequently made by artists working with Metal, and Bronze and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist sculptures, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for sculptures made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $550 and tops out at $935,000, while the average work sells for $7,200.

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