20th Century Figurative Sculptures

Pablo Picasso, considered the greatest artist of the 20th Century, was a master of all art mediums. He collaborated with Madoura to produce editions of his painted ceramic works beginning in the 1940’s...

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) – The Two Nikes, Lilith, The Double Victory of Samothrace, Homage to Raymond Roussel Literature: Descharnes, Robert, Salvador Dalí, and Nicolas Descharnes....

Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) Polo Player, c. 1930s Ceramic Inscribed signature on bottom 11 x 8.5 inches Waylande Gregory was considered a major American sculptor during the 1930's, although he worked in ceramics, rather than in the more traditional bronze or marble. Exhibiting his ceramic works at such significant American venues for sculpture as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and at the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he also showed his ceramic sculptures at leading New York City galleries. Gregory was the first modern ceramist to create large scale ceramic sculptures, some measuring more than 70 inches in height. Similar to the technique developed by the ancient Etruscans, he fired his monumental ceramic sculptures only once. Gregory was born in 1905 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and was something of a prodigy. Growing up on a ranch near a Cherokee reservation, Gregory first became interested in ceramics as a child during a native American burial that he had witnessed. He was also musically inclined. In fact, his mother had been a concert pianist and had given her son lessons. At eleven, he was enrolled as a student at the Kansas State Teacher's College, where he studied carpentry and crafts, including ceramics. Gregory's early development as a sculptor was shaped by the encouragement and instruction of Lorado Taft, who was considered both a major American sculptor as well as a leading American sculpture instructor. In fact, Taft's earlier students included such significant sculptors as Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Janet Scudder. But, Taft and his students had primarily worked in bronze or stone, not in clay; and, Gregory's earliest sculptural works were also not in ceramics. In 1924, Gregory moved to Chicago where he caught the attention of Taft. Gregory was invited by Taft to study with him privately for 18 months and to live and work with him at his famed "Midway Studios." The elegant studio was a complex of 13 rooms that overlooked a courtyard. Taft may have been responsible for getting the young man interested in creating large scale sculpture. However, by the 1920's, Taft's brand of academic sculpture was no longer considered progressive. Instead, Gregory was attracted to the latest trends appearing in the United States and Europe. In 1928 he visited Europe with Taft and other students. "Kid Gregory," as he was called, was soon hired by Guy Cowan, the founder of the Cowan Pottery in Cleveland, Ohio, to become the company's only full time employee. From 1928 to 1932, Gregory served as the chief designer and sculptor at the Cowan Pottery. Just as Gregory learned about the process of creating sculpture from Taft, he literally learned about ceramics from Cowan. Cowan was one of the first graduates of Alfred, the New York School of Clayworking and Ceramics. Alfred had one of the first programs in production pottery. Cowan may have known about pottery production, but he had limited sculptural skills, as he was lacking training in sculpture. The focus of the Cowan Pottery would be on limited edition, table top or mantle sculptures. Two of the most successful of these were Gregory's "Nautch Dancer," (fig. 1) and his "Burlesque Dancer," (fig. 2). He based both sculptures on the dancing of Gilda Gray, a Ziegfield Follies girl. Gilda Gray was of Polish origin and came to the United States as a child. By 1922, she would become one of the most popular stars in the Follies. After losing her assets in the stock market crash of 1929, she accepted other bookings outside of New York, including Cleveland, which was where Gregory first saw her onstage. She allowed Gregory to make sketches of her performances from the wings of the theatre. She explained to Gregory, "I'm too restless to pose." Gray became noted for her nautch dance, an East Indian folk dance. A nautch is a tight, fitted dress that would curl at the bottom and act like a hoop. This sculpture does not focus on Gray's face at all, but is more of a portrait of her nautch dance. It is very curvilinear, really made of a series of arches that connect in a most feminine way. Gregory created his "Burlesque Dancer" at about the same time as "Nautch Dancer." As with the "Nautch Dancer," he focused on the movements of the body rather than on a facial portrait of Gray. Although Gregory never revealed the identity of his model for "Burlesque Dancer," a clue to her identity is revealed in the sculpture's earlier title, "Shimmy Dance." The dancer who was credited for creating the shimmy dance was also Gilda Gray. According to dance legend, Gray introduced the shimmy when she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and forgot some of the lyrics, so, in her embarrassment, started shaking her shoulders and hips but she did not move her legs. Such movement seems to relate to the "Burlesque Dancer" sculpture, where repeated triangular forms extend from the upper torso and hips. This rapid movement suggests the influence of Italian Futurism, as well as the planar motion of Alexander Archipenko, a sculptor whom Gregory much admired. The Cowan Pottery was a victim of the great depression, and in 1932, Gregory changed careers as a sculptor in the ceramics industry to that of an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was perhaps the most prestigious place to study modern design in America. Its faculty included the architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Carl Milles. Although Gregory was only at Cranbrook for one and one half years, he created some of his finest works there, including his "Kansas Madonna" (fig. 3). But, after arriving at Cranbrook, the Gregory's had to face emerging financial pressures. Although Gregory and his wife were provided with complimentary lodgings, all other income had to stem from the sale of artworks and tuition from students that he, himself, had to solicit. Gregory had many people assisting him with production methods at the Cowan Pottery, but now worked largely by himself. And although he still used molds, especially in creating porcelain works, many of his major new sculptures would be unique and sculpted by hand, as is true of "Kansas Madonna." The scale of Gregory's works were getting notably larger at Cranbrook than at Cowan. Gregory left the surface of "Kansas Madonna" totally unglazed. Although some might object to using a religious title to depict a horse nursing its colt, it was considered one of Gregory's most successful works. In fact, it had a whole color page illustration in an article about ceramic sculpture titled, "The Art with the Inferiority Complex," Fortune Magazine, December, 1937. The article notes the sculpture was romantic and expressive and the sculpture was priced at $1,500.00; the most expensive sculpture in the article. Gregory was from Kansas, and "Kansas Madonna" should be considered a major sculptural document of Regionalism. Gregory and his wife Yolande moved to New Jersey in the summer of 1933. And the artist began construction on his new home in the Watchung Mountains of Bound Brook (Warren today) in 1938. His enormous, custom kiln was probably constructed at the start of 1938. Gregory's new sculptures were the largest ceramic sculptures in western art, in modern times. To create these works of ceramic virtuosity, the artist developed a "honeycomb" technique, in which an infrastructure of compartments was covered by a ceramic "skin." Science and atomic energy were a theme in Gregory's most significant work, the "Fountain of the Atom" (fig. 4), at the 1939 New York's World Fair. This major work included twelve monumental ceramic figures at the fairground entrance from the newly constructed railway entrance, giving the work great visibility and prominence. The framework of the fountain itself was of steel and glass bricks. It consisted of a bluish green pool which was sixty five feet in diameter. Above it were two concentric circular tiers, or terraces, as Gregory called them; the first wider than the second. On the first terrace were eight "Electrons," comprised of four male and four female terra cotta figures, each approximately 48 inches high. These relate to the valance shell of the atom. Above them on a narrower terrace, were the much larger and heavier terra cotta figures depicting the four elements, each averaging about 78 inches in height and weighing about a ton and a half. Of the four, "Water" and "Air" were male, while "Earth" and "Fire" were female. This terrace represents the nucleus of the atom. In the center of the fountain, above the "Elements," was a central shaft comprised of sixteen glass tubes from which water tumbled down from tier to tier. At the top, a colorful flame burned constantly. The glass block tiers were lit from within, the whole creating a glowing and gurgling effect. Since the fair was temporary, the figures could be removed after its closing. But the credit for the design of the structure of the fountain belongs to collaborator Nembhard Culin, who was responsible for several other structures on the fair grounds as well. Although Gregory created a figure of "Fire" for the "Fountain of the Atom," he also executed a second, slightly smaller but more defined version which he exhibited at various locations (including Cranbrook, Baltimore Museum, etc.) in 1940-1941, during the second year of the fair (fig.5). Measuring 61 inches in height, "Fire" may be a metaphor for sexual energy, as well as atomic energy. Gregory stated, "Fire is represented by an aquiline female figure being consumed in endless arabesques of flame." Portraiture was also a significant focus of Gregory's sculpture. Gregory produced many commissioned portraits of local people as well as celebrities. He created Albert Einstein's portrait from life (fig. 6, ca. 1940) after Einstein had seen Gregory's "Fountain of the Atom." He also sculpted some of the leading figures in entertainment, including 2 sculptures of Henry Fonda, who became a personal friend. Gregory also sculpted a series of idealized female heads, both in terra cotta and in porcelain. These include "Girl with Olive" (ca. 1932) and "Cretan Girl;"(ca. 1937) both are very reductive and almost abstract works that call to mind Constantine Brancusi's "Mademoiselle Pogany" (1912, Philadelphia Museum of Art). But perhaps one of his most original female heads is "Head of a Child" (fig. 7, ca. 1933), a sensitive white glazed terra cotta portrayal with elaborately crafted braded hair, was originally created as one of a pair. Gregory also produced sculptural works for the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was a work relief project that greatly helped artists during the great depression. Founded by the Federal Government in 1935, an estimated 2500 murals were produced. Among these public works were the iconic post office murals. But, among the painted murals were also sculptural relief murals including Gregory's "R.F.D.," 1938, for the Columbus, Kansas Post Office. But, Gregory's largest WPA relief...

Created in 1965, this terre de faïence sculpture with white slip is inscribed on the sculptural base with the atelier stamps ‘EDITION PICASSO’ and ‘MADOURA...

Painted Terracotta sculpture realized by Sirio Pellegrini in 1960s. Good condition. Sirio Pellegrini, born in Rome on March 1, 1922, of Abruzzo origins (Capestrano), spent his chil...

"Kota Reliquary Figure Nigeria" is a wood and copper sculpture created in Nigeria circa 1970. A head is made with wide red eyes. Their hair is in...

Playful, surreal Claes Oldenburg sculpture re-contextualizing a ceramic bicycle seat as a small mountain or geological feature, sitting on a bed of sand atop a square mahogany base. ...

Lapin bijou, sonnette, circa 1920-1930 Fondry Susse, Ed. 1748 pcs Bronze with a brown patina H. 6.5 cm Signed on the side of the base : Ed.m.Sandoz Sandoz : Sculpteur Figuriste et An...

"King with Two Tribesmen" is a bronze relief sculpture from the Nigeria-Benin area tribe. It depicts three figures: two tribesmen on the left a...

Antique French Art Deco Bronze bust sculpture of a beautiful young woman, by Marcel Andre Bouraine (1886-1948), and cast by the Etling foundry, Paris, circa 1920. The bronze depicts...

CLAUDE LALANNE (1925-2019) Pomme Bouche, circa 1975 Ed. 250 pcs Bronze with a golden patina 13.5 x 12 x 11.5 cm Monogrammed, signed and numbered underside : CL, Lalanne, 177/250 ...

George Wayne Lundeen (American, born 1948) NSS “Promise of the Prairie” Museum Quality Cast Bronze, Limited edition of 21, signed and marked, G.W. Lundeen ©1983 20/21 on the top/back...

Yves Klein, Dying Slave after Michelangelo IKB blue resin in plexiglas, signed Rotraut Klein Moquay and numbered 224/300 on the base on a label. 300 editions numbered from “1/300” to...

Franz Bergmann, Austrian (1861 -1936) - Man on Persian Rug, Year: circa 1900, Medium: Cold painted Bronze sculpture, stamp signed on bottom, Size: 4.5 x 10 x 7 in. (11.43 x 25.4 x...

Pair of rare Murano handblown glass Toucans male and female sculptures. 20"and 19" height 15" and 14"wide depth 5" base 4"x4" Artist signed (engraved), artist's seal.​ Walter Furlan ...

Alan Cottrill (American, Ohio, b. 1952) Nude Female Torso, 1994 Bronze mounted to green marble base Signed, dated and numbered 14/20 verso of leg, with foundry stamp 17. in. h. x 6 i...

Standing figure of Julius Caesar wearing a Tunic and holding a billowing drapery with a composition marble square-section pedestal. . The other figure is of Hannibal. Provenance fro...

EDUARDO ARROYO Spanish, 1937 - 2018 RAMONEUR IV signed, dated and numbered "ARROYO / 1982 / 1/6" (on the side of the neck) "MAGISA" foundry seal (on the side of the neck) bronze and ...

Wonderful Italian sculpture representing a seated maiden. The artwork rests on a square marble base Signed on the base “Gaetano Martinez Roma” According a written opinion by Prof. Al...

Stone sculture realized by Sirio Pellegrini in 1960s. Hand carved. Very Good condition. Sirio Pellegrini, born in Rome on March 1, 1922, of Abruzzo origins (Capestrano), spent his...

Within Nigeria's Benue River Valley region, such representations have been associated with a range of functions, including reinforcement of the status of male elders and used by heal...

Created in 1952, Pablo Picasso Tete de chevre de profil (Goats head in Profile) Unique color Variant, 1952, A.R. 154 is an original white earthe...

Painted Terracotta sculpture realized by Sirio Pellegrini in 1960s. Good condition. Sirio Pellegrini, born in Rome on March 1, 1922, of Abruzzo origins (Capestrano), spent his chil...

Painted Terracotta sculture realized by Sirio Pellegrini in 1960s. Good condition. Sirio Pellegrini, born in Rome on March 1, 1922, of Abruzzo origins (Capestrano), spent his child...

This artwork was created by the Italian artist Piero Perin. Piero Perin was born in 1924, in Cervarese , near Padua Italy. He lived and worked in Padova where he teached at the Schoo...

Leonard Baskin (1922-2000) Jewish Matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah with Hebrew calligraphy Bronze, 1998 9.5 X 9 inches Judaic biblical bronze of Jewish mothers. Leonard Baskin (August 15, 1922 – June 3, 2000) was an American sculptor, illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher. Baskin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. While he was a student at Yale University, he founded Gehenna Press, a small private press specializing in fine book production. From 1953 until 1974, he taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Subsequently Baskin also taught at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in the U.S., but spent nine years in Devon at Lurley Manor, Lurley, near Tiverton, close to his friend Ted Hughes, for whom he illustrated Crow. Sylvia Plath dedicated Sculpto to Leonard Baskin in her famous work, The Colossus and Other Poems (1960). The Funeral Contege (1997) bronze, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Washington, D.C. His public commissions include a bas relief for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and a bronze statue of a seated figure, erected in 1994 for the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His works are owned by many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the British Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art and the Vatican Museums. The archive of his work at the Gehenna Press was acquired by the Bodleian Library at Oxford, England, in 2009. The McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton, Ontario owns over 200 of his works (some religious and biblical), most of which were donated by his brother Rabbi Bernard Baskin. Contemporary Religious Imagery in American Art. Catalog for an exhibition held at the Ringling Museum of Art, March 1-31, 1974. Artists represented: David Aronson, Leonard Baskin, Max Beckmann, Hyman Bloom, Fernando Botero, Paul Cadmus, Marvin Cherney, Arthur G. Dove, Philip Evergood, Adolph Gottlieb, Jonah Kinigstein, Arman, Rico Lebrun, Jack Levine, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Abraham Rattner, Ben Shahn, Mark Tobey, Max Weber, William Zorach and others.In 1955, he was one of eleven New York artists featured in the opening exhibition at the Terrain Gallery, they showed many great artists, Chaim Koppelman, for many years, headed the gallery's Print Division; printmakers such as Will Barnet, Leonard Baskin, Robert Conover...

The Group is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Martine Demal, dimensions are 40 × 21.5 × 5.5 cm (15.7 × 8.5 × 2.2 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is par...

Well done bronze by Polish/Israeli artist Richard Shiloh (1946-2012). Title: Dancer on the Bar. Created circa: 1970's - 1980's. Measures: 13 1/2"h x 7"w. Edition size 5 of 8. The work is in excellent condition with no damage. The signature, edition size and foundry mark are seen on the base. Richard Shiloh is an internationally recognized Israeli figural...

This gothic style architectural segment of a building facade located ion Harlem, NYC, was carved 1924-1926 by William Bradley & Son Cut Stone Contractors. In 2020, each limestone scu...

Chope Visage, Picasso, Pitcher, Edition, 1950's, Design, earthenware, Figurative Chope Visage Ed. 300 pcs 1959 Earthenware clay, decoration in engobes, g...

This artwork titled "Ixchel" 1977, is a bronze sculpture with brown patina by noted Mexican artist Enrique Gottdiener Soto, 1909-1986. Signature is impressed on the bronze. The sculp...

Lapin, modèle 6, circa 1944-1949 Edition Leblanc-Barbedienne Bronze with a brown patina 7.5 x 4 x 2.5 cm Sandoz : Sculpteur Figuriste et Animalier 1881-1971, Catalogue Raisonné de l...

Large 35" tall, fine detail porcelain Dehua Blanc de Chine figure of Kwan Yin, early 20th Century. The goddess is clothed in a voluminous flowing robe which is open at the chest to r...

Tête Solaire, Pablo Picasso, Unique Ceramic, 1950's, Earthenware, Design, Tile Tête solaire II Unique work 27.01.1956 Large white earthenware tile, green stripes on white enamel on ...

Date: circa 1980 Green Onyx sculpture on marble base, signature inscribed at base Size: 45 x 10 x 10 in. (114.3 x 25.4 x 25.4 cm)

#9-031 Man on horseback , 1930's figurative sculpture,finely detailed metal casting .

Picador, Pablo Picasso, Ashtray, Design, Sculpture, Ceramic, White, Edition Picador Ed. 500 pcs 1952 White earthenware clay, oxidized paraffin decoration, white enamel D. 15.2 cm St...

Tête de Faune, Picasso, Unique work, 1960's, Terracotta, Tiles, Design, Sculptur Tête de faune Unique work 14.03.1961 Painted and glazed terracotta tile...

Standout set of two pugilistic roosters crafted in metal in action poses and hand painted in dramatic colors. Signed "Made in Italy" on a brass bracelet. Left: H: 6 W: 12 D: 7 Rig...

19th Century Italian carved wood remnant with classical form and a worn silver leaf finish holding a tole bouquet with flowers and leaves with a perfect time worn patina.

Agnes Yarnall LePage, began studying sculpture at the age of 6 at the Liberty Tadd School of Modeling. She went on to study with Charles Grafly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fin...

"Untitled" is a bronze sculpture by Bill Nebeker. Signed on reverse base "Bill Nebeker CA 6/30". The full size is 23 1/2 x 18 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches. Bill Nebeker is an American artist ...

"Herself" by Frederick Hart is an acrylic figurative sculpture of a woman's face numbered 176/350. Hart began to equate light and spirit, the medium itself conveying the meaning, bey...

One of a kind Goddess sculpture by Noche Crist (1909-2004). Noche Crist was an American artist born in Romania. Sculpture is made from polyester res...

Classic female torso inspired by examples of high Greek sculpture. Sculptor explores the lines and shapes of the female body, embodied the diversity, slightly changed the poses. Thi...

African Carved Wood Makonde Mask Heavy wood carved ceremonial mask symbolizing an ancestor 16.5 x 8 x 10 inches A carved ceremonial mask symbolizing an ancestor, this African facial...

Finely carved mythological subject in Lecce limestone of Aria a Roman Goddness . Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measurements: Statue cm 160, base cm 85.

Thelma Frazier Winter (American, 1903-1977) Woman and Child, c. 1935 Glazed stoneware, painted plaster 14 x 7 x 5.875 inches Thelma Frazier Wint...

Fine pair of gilt bronze Greyhound dog sculptures. The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting. Excellent condition.

This intense bronze sculpture was made by the well known Italian artist, Aron Demetz, in 2004, Italy. This is a lost wax bronze hand painted. The title is "Il grande freddo" translat...

This bronze sculpture is a model of the one of the Naiads of the Fountain of the Naiads in Piazza Esedra, Rome, Italy. Realized by Mario Rutelli in 1905 ca. Very good condition.

A very heavy, massive bronze sculpture by an important Chicago sculptor. Signed and marked "Firenze" with "Fuse Marinelli". METROPOLIS. Seven abstract shapes on black marble base. 1...

Very rare Art Deco three dimensional terracotta sculpture of Adam and Eve by the Austrian artist, Virgil Rainer. Hand painted by the artist. Signed bott...

Antique Polychrome Wood Carving Igbo Nigeria Africa, Staff decorated with two figures, mounted as a finial on the shaft terminating in a triang...

Head of a warrior. From the Totonaca culture (state of Veracruz) created about 1982. Modern Pre Columbian style clay, terracotta sculpture artist signed on the right bottom. Walter...

Pichet Têtes, by Picasso, Pitcher, 1950's, Edition, Black and white, Design Pichet Têtes Ed. 500 pcs 1956 White earthenware, decoration with oxidized par...

Important one of a kind painting by Noche Crist (1909 - 2004). A shaped painting titled " Flower Caryatid". Noche Crist imbued her cutouts with more...

Indian Ponies, realistic bronze sculpture, dark brown patina, horses, Nambe Foundry limited edition bronze solid casting Allan Houser (Haozous), Chiricahua Apache (1914-1994) Selec...

Loet Vanderveen, Dutch (1921 - 2015) - Thoroughbred, Medium: Bronze sculpture, signature and numbering inscribed on bottom, Edition: 235/500, Size: 4.75 x 8 x 4 in. (12.07 x 20.3...

This reproduction of a classical Hellenistic sculpture of Hercules . A timeless piece for interior and a garden decoration. We can raise with a base on request .