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Contemporary Sculptures

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Contemporary
Artist: Richard MacDonald
Angelic Crystal, Terracotta
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Intrigued by the stature and carriage of a particular figure, MacDonald pursued Angelic Crystal, the study of a ballerina in the studio. Inspired by a continuing appreciation of dance, the artist encountered a uniquely beautiful, exceptionally tall ballerina possessed of the elegance of a gazelle and the face of a muse. MacDonald witnessed her dancing while creating many drawings of the elements of her presence: the result is a very classic bust...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta, Resin

Red Dress, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
The Joie de Vivre series is filled with iconic figures, sculpture that inspires us and brings our hearts to all that fills our lives with joy. Red Dress Atel...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Showtime Atelier, Red
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“A silent medium within a silent medium.” These are the words contemporary master Richard MacDonald uses in describing his world renowned Mime Series. MacDonald’s trademark skill at investing his evocative bronze images with movement and life is never more...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Anatomy of Golf I-V, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
The Anatomy of a Golfer l-V, Atelier is the first in Richard MacDonald's series of golfers that were inspired by the creation of his heroic sculpture, MOMENTUM, which marked the 100th Anniversary of the US Open Golf Tournament at the historic Pebble Beach Golf...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Blind Faith, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Blind Faith is an emphatic expression of the call to live life with passion, faith, and courage. Such a life is shaped by vision: not the vision of the eye...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Showtime, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“A silent medium within a silent medium.” These are the words contemporary master Richard MacDonald uses in describing his world renowned Mime Series. MacDonald’s trademark skill at investing his evocative bronze images with movement and life is never more...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Anatomy of Golf, I, IV and V, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
The Anatomy of a Golfer l, IV and V, Atelier is the first in Richard MacDonald's series of golfers that were inspired by the creation of his heroic sculpture, MOMENTUM, which marked the 100th Anniversary of the US Open Golf Tournament at the historic Pebble Beach Golf...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Study for the Head of Piper
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
The Piper represents the very embodiment of joy. With a thousand nuances of form, from the wind in her cheek, to the carefree tilt of her head, she conveys a sense of youth and hope ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Gymnast Eighth Life, Platinum
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
The Gymnast Eighth Life Platinum is part of the 20th Anniversary Commemorative Collection celebrating the monument titled Flair Across America , which was ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Romeo & Juliet III, Third Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Richard MacDonald's sculpture, "Romeo & Juliet III." This captivating artwork captures the essence of Shakespeare's timeless tale of love and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Duality
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Richard MacDonald’s sculpture Duality, originally introduced to collectors under the working title of Yin and Yang II, represents a principle that is fundamental to art from all time...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

The Gathering of Graces, Quarter Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Greek mythology records the Three Graces, considered the fairest daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, as representatives of the blessings of nature. Followers believed that each spring, their fertility dance caused seeds to sprout and flowers to bloom. On another creative level, the young goddesses were believed to influence artistic achievement. While Boticelli’s expression of the soft, linear forms inherent in the Three Graces influenced the rebirth of classical mythology, Richard MacDonald is inspired to foster the renaissance of figurative art with his own interpretation of “grace.” Employing the classical tradition of undulating lines, precise contour and soft, fair forms, MacDonald created first his masterpiece “The Three Graces” followed by an exploration into the personae of each of the three sisters, Agalia, Euphrosyne and Thalia. In "The Gathering of the Graces...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Orpheo, Lucite
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Some works of art are exploratory; they ask questions, but offer no answers. Some are the distillation of a lifetime of experience, and the answers they give cannot easily be translated into words. Richard MacDonald’s mythological sculpture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Lucite

Study for the Rose, Half Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“Study for the Rose, Half Life” draws on Richard MacDonald’s highly developed sensitivity for the experience of the dancer, and displays all the quiet beauty of a private moment of reflection. In half-life size the supple and delicate form of the ballerina has real substance—an almost-breathing presence that immediately draws us to wonder at the thoughts of the ballerina toying with the ribbon on her shoe. Her youth and preoccupation give a sense of life and warmth to the sculpture; the beautiful line of her arm draped over the bar is a study in the effortless grace of the well-trained dancer. Her soft cheek rests on her shoulder, and we feel the tenderness of her childish daydream—yet she holds the posture of an accomplished professional. A study in contrasts, this piece has the timeless appeal associated with the ballet works by Degas, with the unmistakable character that can only be attributed to Richard MacDonald himself. Dawson Cole Fine Art
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Diana and the Coursing Cheetahs
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
In Diana and the Coursing Cheetahs, myth is brought to the present. MacDonald portrays the female at her height during the close of the 20th century as a synthesis of physical streng...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Showtime, Half Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“A silent medium within a silent medium.” These are the words contemporary master Richard MacDonald uses in describing his world renowned Mime Series. MacDonald’s trademark skill at ...
Category

1990s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Yin & Yang, Third Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Richard MacDonald’s sculpture Yin & Yang, represents a principle that is fundamental to art from all time periods and cultures—it is the timeless paradox that opposites exist in harm...
Category

2010s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Brazilian Feathers, Red
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
"Brazilian Feathers" does not spring from the refined world of ballet, but from the elemental, tribal rhythms of a far earlier form of dance. Bedecked w...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Elena Study II, Extended Drapery
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Like all of Richard MacDonald’s most important works, Elena Study II transcends the definition of it’s initial concept and becomes a metaphor of wide ranging meaning: different for e...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Chroma, Third life, Column
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
After devoting more than twenty years to the perfection of the human form in bronze, Richard MacDonald focused on a series of sculptures based on his work with dancers from the Royal Ballet...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Blind Faith, Third Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Blind Faith is an emphatic expression of the call to live life with passion, faith, and courage. Such a life is shaped by vision: not the vision of the eyes, but the unlimited vision...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Capeo Flamenco
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Some say the word Flamenco comes from the Spanish, flama, or “flame.” Richard MacDonald’s Flamenco Series employ that definition on many levels. While the studies depict a male figur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

I Am
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“I am” symbolizes balance and the ability to stretch beyond our perceived limits. An extremely difficult posture, the model is extended from his core, arched back, and yet seems at e...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Suspended, Man on a Rope
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Holding on to the rope above, we witness MacDonald’s uncanny ability to convey a sense of tension and release in Man on a Rope. Near the apex of the triangular composition, we witnes...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

The Ritual Female Dancer
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
In “The Ritual, Female Dancer”, a wave of energy moves up the linear column and erupts from the architectonic strata of time to express the sensual, rhyt...
Category

2010s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

First Ribbons
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
First Ribbons draws on the artist's highly developed sensitivity for the experience of the dancer, and displays a personal moment of accomplishment. We witness the young dancer holdi...
Category

1980s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pas de Deux Elegance
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
After devoting more than twenty years to the perfection of the human form in bronze, Richard MacDonald focused on a series of sculptures based on his work with dancers from the Roy...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Origins
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Richard MacDonald has always been intrigued by opposites and he has the range to be able to create both sculptures of delicate, archetypal femininity and powerful, athletic masculini...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rain, Heroic
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Continuing in the spirit of his classical mimes, Richard MacDonald’s work entitled “Rain, Life Size” offers us an experience with rain, wind, movement, and joy. We feel the wind blow...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sisters, Half life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
In Sisters, Half life it is happiness in its purest, most youthful form-- without thought or care -- sparked by nothing more than the beauty of the dance, the thrill of movement, and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Transcendance Two Thirds Life, Platinum
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
As with Richard MacDonald’s entire Cirque series, Transcendance has many layers of metaphor and meaning to challenge and intrigue viewers. Transcendance is a striking example of Richard MacDonald’s rare...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Nightfall Third Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Cloaked in mystery, the female form of “Nightfall” intrigues us. Concealed is a beautiful face, but like nightfall itself, all is not revealed. The globes in each hand suggest the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sissone, Half Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
After devoting more than twenty years to the perfection of the human form in bronze, Richard MacDonald focused on a series of sculptures based on his work with dancers from the Royal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Jacques, Half Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
A richly flowing cape drapes his shoulders, as he crouches low, eyes looking upward, “Jacques” raises his hands to test the confining walls of his imaginary box. “Jacques” reminds us...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Nightfall Third Life, Red
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Cloaked in mystery, the female form of “Nightfall” intrigues us. Concealed is a beautiful face, but like nightfall itself, all is not revealed. The globes in each hand suggest the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Angelic Crystal, Platinum
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Crystal is a young ballerina who has posed for Richard many times. She has a quiet radiance, a pure and thoughtful quality that gives her grace an added dimension. She is lithe and ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Duality
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Richard MacDonald’s sculpture Duality, originally introduced to collectors under the working title of Yin and Yang II, represents a principle that is fundamental to art from all time...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Female Allonge, Third life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Allonge captures the line and athleticism of a world-class dancer and we are reminded of the essential perfection of the human form. Beckoning a sense of joy, youth, and hope, Allong...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Juliet, Third Life
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Inspired by the ballet Romeo and Juliet and the intensity of the love portrayed by the principal dancers, Juliet, Third Life embodies youthful passion and romance. Her elegant femini...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Anatomy of Golf I, IV and V
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
From the 100th playing of the US Open at Pebble Beach, CA 2000.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Contemporary sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary 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, red, purple, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including KOBE, Richard MacDonald, KAWS, and HIRO ANDO. 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 Contemporary sculptures, so small editions measuring 0.25 inches across are also available.

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