Sophie Ryder Bronze

British artist Sophie Ryder’s imaginative anthropomorphic sculptures have been celebrated for their profundity and exploration of human relationships through iconography and metaphor. Works like Minotaur and Lady Hare examine the interplay between male and female sexuality and reflect the influence of Spanish artist Francisco Goya, English artist Henry Moore and Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

As a child, Ryder and her sketchpad were inseparable; she drew furiously, especially during long stretches in the hospital while she recovered from childhood leukemia. She later attended the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where she studied Combined Arts from 1981 to 1984. 

Ryder’s artistic debut was at the Zurich Art Fair in 1986. She has gone on to exhibit work in solo and group shows around the world. Since 2005, she has regularly exhibited in the Vancouver Biennale in Canada. In 1992, she earned the Discerning Eye award at the Mall Galleries for best sculpture in show. In 2017, she had solo shows at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida; St James’s Square in London, Pilane sculpture park in Sweden and Hignell Gallery in London. 

The numerous public and corporate collections that hold her work include the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath, England; the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Yorkshire, England; the United Kingdom’s National Trust and the Robert and Mary Montgomery Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Sophie Ryder’s sculptures, prints and multiples.

Figurative sculptures mix reality and imagination, with the most common muse being the human body. Animals are also inspirations for these sculptures, along with forms found in nature.

While figurative sculpture dates back over 35,000 years, the term came into popularity in the 20th century to distinguish it from abstract art. It was aligned with the Expressionist movement in that many of its artists portrayed reality but in a nonnaturalistic and emotional way. In the 1940s, Alberto Giacometti — a Swiss-born artist who was interested in African art, Cubism and Surrealism — created now-iconic representational sculptures of the human figure, and after World War II, figurative sculpture as a movement continued to flourish in Europe.

Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon were some of the leading figurative artists during this period. Artists like Jeff Koons and Maurizio Cattelan propelled the evolution of figurative sculpture into the 21st century.

Figurative sculptures can be whimsical, uncanny and beautiful. Their materials range from stone and wood to metal and delicate ceramics. Even in smaller sizes, the sculptures make bold statements. A bronze sculpture by Salvador Dalí enhances a room; a statuesque bull by Jacques Owczarek depicts strength with its broad chest while its thin legs speak of fragility. Figurative sculptures allow viewers to see what is possible when life is reimagined.

Browse 1stDibs for an extensive collection of figurative sculptures and find the next addition to your collection.