Marble Figurative Sculptures

Sydney Kumalo. Features a bronze stylized female figural form sculpture fixed to a marble plinth and wood base. Bears signature on base. Measures 9 1/2" x 4 1/4". There is no edition number on the piece. Sydney Kumalo (1935 - 1988) was born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, on 13 April 1935. His was one of the families who had to move out of the "white" city to the South Western Townships, or Soweto. Raised in Diepkloof and educated at Madibane High School, he took with him from old Sophiatown the curious and diverse heritage of its heyday. Art classes in the Catholic school, "Sof' town" blues and jazz, the vibrant street culture and growing defiance of its population of various races who were gradually forced out into separate race-group areas. So it was that these various aspects of his early life created for Kumalo a cultural mix of a Zulu family related to the traditional royal house; city schooling, nascent township music and lingo; growing urbanised political defiance and the deep-rooted Zulu pride and respect for the legends and ancient stories of a tribal people. This mix of old and new cultures was reinforced when he began his studies at the Polly Street Art Centre in 1953 where he became a member of Cecil Skotnes group of serious artists who were encouraged to acquire professional skills. Skotnes introduced a basic training programme with modelling as a component, which marked the introduction of sculpting (in brick-clay) at Polly Street. Kumalo was Skotnes’ assistant at Polly Street from 1957 to 1964, and having recognised his great talent as a sculptor, Skotnes encouraged him to become a professional artist. After Kumalo’s very successful assistance with a commission to decorate the St Peter Claver church at Seeisoville near Kroonstad, with painting designs, sculpture and relief panels in 1957, Skotnes arranged for Kumalo to continue his art training by working in Edoardo Villa ’s studio from 1958 to 1960. Working with Villa, he received professional guidance and began to familiarize himself with the technical aspects of sculpting and bronze casting. In 1960 he became an instructor at the Polly Street Art Centre. Kumalo started exhibiting his work with some of the leading commercial Johannesburg galleries in 1958, and had his first solo exhibition with the Egon Guenther Gallery in 1962. He was a leader of the generation who managed to leave behind the forms of African curios, reject the European-held paternalism which encouraged notions of "naive" and "tribal" African art, and yet still hold fast to the core of the old legends and spiritual values of his people. He introduced these subjects into his bronze sculptures and pastel drawings, evolving his own expressive, contemporary African "style". Together with Skotnes, Villa, Cecily Sash and Giuseppe Cattaneo, Kumalo became part of the Amadlozi group in 1963. This was a group of artists promoted by the African art collector and gallery director Egon Guenther, and characterised by their exploration of an African idiom in their art. Elza Miles writes that Cecil Skotnes’ friendship with Egon Guenther had a seminal influence on the aspirant artists of Polly Street: “Guenther broadened their experience by introducing them to German Expressionism as well as the sculptural traditions of West and Central Africa. He familiarised them with the work of Ernst Barlach, Käthe Kollwitz, Gustav Seitz, Willi Baumeister and Rudolf Sharf.” It is therefore not surprising that some of Kumalo’s sculptures show an affinity with Barlach’s powerful expressionist works. Guenther organised for the Amadlozi group to hold exhibitions around Italy, in Rome, Venice, Milan and Florence, in both 1963 and 1964. Kumalo’s career took off in the mid 1960s, with his regular participation in exhibitions in Johannesburg, London, New York and Europe. He also represented South Africa at the Venice Biennale in 1966, and in 1967 participated in the São Paulo Biennale. EJ De Jager (1992) describes Kumalo’s sculpture as retaining much of the “canon and formal aesthetic qualities of classical African sculpture. His work contains the same monumentality and simplicity of form.” His main medium for modelling was terra cotta, which was then cast in bronze, always paying careful attention to the finish of both the model as well as the final cast. He began casting the pieces he modelled in clay or plaster into bronze at the Renzo Vignali Artistic Foundry in Pretoria North. He worked throughout his life with its owners, the Gamberini family, and enjoyed learning the technical aspects of the casting process, refining his surfaces according to what he learned would produce the best results in metal. De Jager further writes that Kumalo’s distinctive texturing of the bronze or terra cotta is reminiscent of traditional carving techniques of various African cultures. “In many respects Kumalo thus innovated a genuine contemporary or modern indigenous South African sculpture”. Kumalo came to admire the works of the Cubists, and of British sculptors Henry Moore and Lynn Chadwick. He became noted for adapting shapes from them into his own figures. The success of his use of the then current monumental simplicity and purely aesthetic abstractions of natural forms has been emulated by many South African sculptors since the 1970s. He was in many ways the doyen of South African Black art. As such he was an important influence especially on younger African sculptors, by whom he is greatly revered. Through his teaching at Polly Street and at the Jubilee Centre, as well as through his personal example of integrity, dedication and ability, he inspired and guided students who in their own right became outstanding artists, for example, Ezrom Legae, Leonard Matsoso and Louis Maqhubela From 1969 onward, he allied himself with Linda Givon, founder of The Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, where he exhibited regularly until his death in December 1988. Working with Givon also perpetuated his associations with his many friends of strong principles. Skotnes, Villa, Legae and later such peers from the Polly Street era as Leonard Matsoso, Durant Sihlali and David Koloane have all exhibited at The Goodman Gallery. Kumalo, Legae, and later Fikile (Magadlela) and Dumile (Feni) were among the leading exponents of a new Afrocentric art...

A very rare bronze cast of two battling Rams, by Sirio Tofanari (1886-1969). An old cast with a dark brown shaded patina. On a heavy green marble steppe...

Marble free form sculpture by Chrissy Harris. Composition is cipollino green marble from Greece. Signed on base of marble sculpture. American School....

Untitled (Man, Woman and Child Dancing) bronze on marble plinth base. signed and numbered Gerard Koch was a French Post War & Contemporary sculptor who was born in 1926. Gérard K...

Margaret Foley (American, 1827-1877) Marble Bust "Head of Prophet Zephaniah" A rare and important marble bust head relief portrait on The Prophet Ze...

Pradeep Jogdand - Untitled Black Marble H 41 x W 18 x D 13 inches ( Delivered ) Pradeep Jogdand (born 1987) is a young sculptor based in Mumbai. He did his BFA in sculpture from J.J...

Pradeep Jogdand - Untitled Black Marble H 28 x W 24 x D 14 inches ( Delivered ) Pradeep Jogdand (born 1987) is a young sculptor based in Mumbai. He did his BFA in sculpture from J.J...

Italian sculptor (early 20th century) - Masonic altar. 56 x 52 x h 105 cm. Entirely in finely carved white marble, two snakes are depicted wrapping a skull and a game with the Eye ...

I am a storyteller. As an actor, director, and writer, storytelling has been the heart of my life’s work. Whether on stage, in front of a camera, or on the page, I’ve spent years cra...

Embrace Mother with child. Soft pink-white marble, black onyx pedestal, artist signed. It will be shipped in two separate boxes. Robert Russin, born in 1914, in New York City died in...

Rosa Portugal marble torso of a woman. Unsigned. Late 20th century. In excellent condition. American School. 18.5 inches high by 10 wise by 7 inche...

This is a gorgeous hand-carved grey marble object The marble is polished and with an amazing tactile feel. The weight and the feeling of the polished marble is the best. This piece...

This Portrait go Giuseppe Garibaldi is an original decorative marble sculpture realized in Italy by Italian manufacture during the end of the XIX century. The alabaster marble sta...

This Figurative sculpture in black Belgian marble by Lutfi Romhein has a very fine grain which provides a really soft touch. A graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrare, in ...

Arrighini Nicola (Pietrasanta 1905-1977) a sculptor of Pietrasanta (Italy) in 1930 decided to create, in white Carrara marble on black marble basis, the Mask of Leopoldo Fregoli, o...

Bronze, glass & marble Irakli Tsuladze is a Georgian sculptor born in 1973 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. His sculptures present a peculiar unity of substance and emotions...

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Description Masked suggests a sense of mystery and eccentricity, and begs the question: Who is the man behind the mask? ...

RYSZARD PIOTROWSKI (born in 1952) Sculptor. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. His works include intimate, small forms in marble, bronze and silver. He specializes...

Bronze, marble & enamel Irakli Tsuladze is a Georgian sculptor born in 1973 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. His sculptures present a peculiar unity of substance and emotion...

"Dancing Muse" is a captivating contemporary sculpture, expertly carved by Scott Gentry from premium Calacatta marble. This modern masterpiece captures th...

This Bronze portrait by Constantin Antonovici is laid directly into the surface of a cut slab of white marble. Intense and hollow eyes stare out from a smiling visage, creating an un...

Artist: Constantin Antonovici, Romanian (1911 - 2002) Title: Sleeping Owl Year: 1947 Medium: Bronze with Patina on Marble Base, signature and number inscribed Edition: 1/9 Size: 29 i...

This sculpture depicts a bellowing bull, full of strength and muscular power. This artwork was made in direct cuts, then the bull's hair were finished using a smal power tool. It is not polished. The separated base is made of black veined marble. A graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrare, in Italy, Lutfi Romhein...

Coming from a family with a long artistic tradition. Vincent Du Bois accomplished to synthesize both classical background and comtemporary vision. From...

American sculptor Hana Geber (1910 - 1990) She was born in Prague of Czechoslovakian heritage and eventually settled in New York. Her sculptures deal with Jewish themes...

"Renaissance" Bronze and Marble sculpture 13" x 9" in by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Songbird, 2005 Bronze & Marble 33 x 23 cm, Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his character...

Marble and wood

Marble

An original carved marble sculpture by Constantin Antonovici from his Owl Series. Referenced in "Constantin Antonovici: Sculptor of Owls", pg 51. signature and date inscribed verso. ...

Marble

Divyendu Anand - Space Rock - H 27 x W 18 x D 11 inches Edition 2/9 Metal Skin over Composite of Stone Glass and Polyester Resin, Black Marble, 2020 G...

A minimalist depiction of a woman in a large hat by Constantin Antonovici. This white marble sculpture is composed almost entirely of two colliding ovals, with a few ridges visible o...

Seagulls by Léo LAPORTE-BLAIRSY (1865-1923) Sculpture made in white Carrara marble signed on the base "Léo Laporte-Blairsy" France circa 1904 height 60 cm width 41 cm depth 25 cm ...

Artist: Ellen Brenner-Sorensen, American Title: Man Smoking Cigar Medium: White Marble Sculpture Size: 46 in. x 21 in. x 12 in. (116.84 cm x 53.34 cm...

Marble

Provenance: Private Collection, New York; their sale: Swann Galleries, New York, 9 March 2000, lot 704; where acquired by: Private Collection, New York, until 2025. A key figure in ...

"Land & Sea" Bronze sculpture 16" x 14" inch by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Double-faced Bronze & Marble Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his characteristic figures of femin...

This figurative sculpture filled with interiority and peaceful presence by Lutfi Romhein is directly sculpted from veined white Carrara marble stone. Its circular independent base me...

This artwork is a unique-piece sculpture curved directly from green-veined white Carrara marble stone by French artist Cécile de Cock. Born in an artistic family, with a father who...

An original carved marble sculpture by Constantin Antonovici from his "Bird and Animal Series". Referenced in "Constantin Antonovici: Sculptor of Owls", pg 83 Antonovici was born in...

A fine abstract marble sculpture of two lovers, unsigned, in the manner of Lithuanian American artist William Zorach (1887-1966). Zorach was born in Eurberg, Lithuania, was brought t...

"Entropy" Bronze sculpture 22" x 9" inch by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Entropy, 2005 Bronze & Marble Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his ...

"Love of Horses" Bronze and Marble Sculpture 16" x 7" in by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Love of Horses, 2000 Bronze & Marble (Double Face) 40 x 18 cm, Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostl...

This bronze patina sculpture is set on a warm toned marble base. The sculptor, Ruth Gutman, has created an expressionist rendering of a woman praying. ...

Biomorphic abstract sculpture by Canadian artist John McKinnon. The work features a mother figure holding her child in a loving embrace. Inspired by other modern artists such as Henr...

"Chrysalis" Bronze and Marble sculpture 19" x 15" in by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Chrysalis, 2005 Bronze & Marble 48 x 39 cm, Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his character...

Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Diana Sculpture II" Series: Sculpture *Signed, titled, and dated by Graves on bottom Year: 2022 Medium: Original Acrylic Painted Cast Marble Sculpture Dimensions: 17" tall x 6.88" wide x 6" deep Weight: 3 pounds Condition: In mint condition Notes: This is a unique work, not from an edition. The raw white cast marble sculpture itself was not created by the artist; it is a found object which Graves has hand-painted and transformed with his own design. The sculpture is cast marble: over 90% natural crushed Greek Marble stone with a small amount of resin poured into a mold, made in Heraklion, Greece. Diana is a goddess in Roman and Hellenistic religion, primarily considered a patroness of the countryside, hunters, crossroads, and the Moon. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, and absorbed much of Artemis' mythology early in Roman history, including a birth on the island of Delos to parents Jupiter and Latona, and a twin brother, Apollo, though she had an independent origin in Italy...

Charles Samuel – Thyl Ulenspiegel and Nele (after the Monument to Charles De Coster, 1894) Bronze, marble base, 66 x 61 x 27 cm Cast by Petermann, Brussels A moment of intimacy and d...

"Symphony II" Bronze Sculpture 14.5" x 17" inch by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Bronze & Marble Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his characteristic figures of feminine form an...

This is a gorgeous hand-carved black marble pair of gloves. The marble is polished and has an amazing tactile feeling. This piece celebrates our ...

Marble

Attr. Bertel Thorvalsden (1770-1844) WINGED CUPID, Italy, 19th Century Provenance: Private Collection, Vienna

Marble

Bronze & marble Irakli Tsuladze is a Georgian sculptor born in 1973 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. His sculptures present a peculiar unity o...

My sculpture is inspired by the connection of the human form to nature. I use natural materials, stone, wood and metal to bring to life organic forms moving through space. The delica...

"Symphony I" Bronze sculpture 28" x 15" inch by Ibrahim Abd Elmalak Bronze & Marble Signed & Dated Sculptures that mostly depict his characteri...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...

Cool grey figurative sculpture of a female figure. Sculpture has concave areas where the limbs would extend from the body. The sculpture sits on a base that appears to be a leg. Jose...