What is contemporary sculpture?

When referring to artwork, contemporary simply means “the art of today”, or artwork that was produced in the second half of the 20th century onward. This term extends to all art, including sculptures. You’ll find a variety of contemporary sculptures from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.

Tall Contemporary Sculpture

Jordi Bonet

Abstract Large Outdoor Sculptures

Tall Totem

Bronze Sculpture Balance

Metal Human Sculpture

Saint George

Glass Blown Sculpture

Outdoor Corten Steel Sculpture

Shayne DarkInterlace Crimson Red - Sculpture, Contemporary Steel, 90" Tall, Signed, 2012

$19,000

H 90 in W 22 in D 22 in

Interlace Crimson Red - Sculpture, Contemporary Steel, 90" Tall, Signed

By Shayne Dark

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary red metal sculpture by Shayne Dark was inspired by nature. Forged in steel and coated in a deep crimson red paint, this striking sculpture by Canada’s Shayne Dark...

Category

2010s Contemporary Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Mina KarwanchiAlcicornis Porcelain Sculpture, Contemporary, 2022, 23cm Tall, 2022

$3,042

H 9.06 in W 7.09 in D 5.91 in

Alcicornis Porcelain Sculpture, Contemporary, 2022, 23cm Tall

By Mina Karwanchi

Located in London, GB

Mina Karwanchi Alcicornis, 2022 Porcelain 23 x 18 x 18 cm 9 x 7 1/8 x 7 1/8 in

Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

Mina KarwanchiPoseidon Porcelain Sculpture, Contemporary, 2010s, New, 50 cm Tall, 2021

$6,904

H 19.69 in W 8.67 in D 8.27 in

Poseidon Porcelain Sculpture, Contemporary, 2010s, New, 50 cm Tall

By Mina Karwanchi

Located in London, GB

Mina Karwanchi Poseidon, 2021 Porcelain 50 x 22 x 22 cm 19 3/4 x 8 5/8 x 8 5/8 in

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Mike HanselCollusion - tall, monumental, contemporary, abstract, stainless steel sculpture, 2018

$45,000

H 198 in W 36 in D 60 in

Collusion - tall, monumental, contemporary, abstract, stainless steel sculpture

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This monumental, contemporary, abstract, stainless steel sculpture was created by American sculptor Mike Hansel. Hansel has collaborated on public installations of outdoor sculptures...

Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel

Sara Ingleby-MackenzieDaiquiri (bronze resin) - contemporary tall figure female fashion sculpture, 2020

$9,584

H 72.45 in W 13.98 in D 13.98 in

Daiquiri (bronze resin) - contemporary tall figure female fashion sculpture

By Sara Ingleby-Mackenzie

Located in London, GB

edition of 20 Sara trained under Ken Hughes, a pupil of Henry Moore, at Bath Academy of Art. There she achieved a first class honours degree in Sculpture and was awarded the Henry M...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Resin

$Siamese Horse Cat: Sculpture, Contemporary Mixed Media, 6.5\" Tall$

Debra BrozSiamese Horse Cat: Sculpture, Contemporary Mixed Media, 6.5\" Tall, 2020

$600

H 6.5 in W 6 in D 3 in

Siamese Horse Cat: Sculpture, Contemporary Mixed Media, 6.5\" Tall

By Debra Broz

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This figurative sculpture titled "Siamese Horse Cat" is an original artwork by Debra Broz made of secondhand ceramics and mixed media. The sculpture measures 6.5"h x 6"l x 3"w. Debr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Found Objects, Ceramic

Philippe PallafrayAthabasca Rust 1/10 - tall, modern, geometric, contemporary, steel sculpture, 2020

$3,200

H 36.75 in W 6 in D 6 in

Athabasca Rust 1/10 - tall, modern, geometric, contemporary, steel sculpture

By Philippe Pallafray

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This compelling minimalist sculpture by Quebec’s Philippe Pallafray is hand forged in stainless steel. The clean lines of the pillar become more interesting when jagged edges and a f...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel

H 23.63 in W 9.45 in D 7.88 in

Contemporary Porcelain Tall White Vase Sea Ceramic Handmade Sculpture Italy Fos

By Fos Ceramiche

Located in Faenza, IT

An underwater garden, populated by animals and plants from the Deep, is the main source of inspiration for this majestic white porcelain vase designed by Andri Ioannou. "Akanthos" is...

Category

2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Matthew RosenquistTall Girl, 2014

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 21 in W 20 in D 20 in

"CONTEMPLATION VESSEL #135" - hand-made brown ceramic vessel 20 inches tall

By Ann Mallory

Located in Seattle, WA

Inspired in part by mysterious stone slabs that were found near high water marks after the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan, Ann Mallory’s sculptures have a spiritual energy. These ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Sculpture by David King, Wood and Bronze, 1969

Unavailable

H 84 in W 20 in D 13 in

Sculpture by David King, Wood and Bronze, 1969

Located in Berkeley, CA

Very tall floor wooden sculpture, modern contemporary Duck with a bronze egg underneath.

Category

Vintage 1960s American Modern Figurative Sculptures

P. Roch SmithAscent - figurative, sculpture, tall, contemporary, bronze, steel, 2024

Sold

H 96 in W 11 in D 9 in

Ascent - figurative, sculpture, tall, contemporary, bronze, steel

By P. Roch Smith

Located in Bloomfield, ON

Canadian Sculptor Roch Smith is highly regarded for his provocative and playful contemporary artwork. Cast in bronze, this sculpture revisits a favoured theme—the human desire and s...

Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Stainless Steel

Tall Contemporary TOTEM Sculpture by Dominique Maltier

Sold

H 81.89 in W 11.42 in D 9.85 in

Tall Contemporary TOTEM Sculpture by Dominique Maltier

By Dominique Maltier

Located in Bois-Colombes, FR

Contemporary and unique piece: TOTEM sculpture in soldered wrought iron by Dominique Maltier.

Materials

Resin

Materials

Paint

"Youths Bathing in the Bay of Algiers, " Monumental Painting by Ortega, 1934

$21,000Sale Price|25% Off

H 81 in W 56 in D 2 in

"Youths Bathing in the Bay of Algiers, " Monumental Painting by Ortega, 1934

By José Ortega

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Brilliantly painted in tones of turquoise, Mediterranean blue, aqua, sky blue and a range of rich browns, tans and grays, this view of three young men bathing in the bay of Algiers i...

Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Paintings

Materials

Paint

$348,500Sale Price|46% Off

H 49.5 in W 48 in D 27 in

Life-Size Italian 19th Century Marble Sculpture Children on Crib, A. Tantardini

Located in LA, CA

Antonio Tantardini (Italian, 1829-1879) An extraordinary Italian 19th century life size carved Carrara white marble sculpture of "A Young Child and a baby in a wicker crib" - A Risor...

Category

19th Century Academic Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

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Tall Contemporary Sculpture For Sale on 1stDibs

On 1stDibs, you can find the most appropriate piece of tall contemporary sculpture for your needs in our varied inventory. You can easily find an example made in the Abstract style, while we also have 6 Abstract versions to choose from as well. You’re likely to find the perfect item from our selection of tall contemporary sculpture among the distinctive items we have available, which includes versions made as long ago as the 20th Century as well as those made as recently as the 21st Century. On 1stDibs, the right choice in our collection of tall contemporary sculpture is waiting for you and the choices span a range of colors that includes gray, black, gold and beige. There have been many interesting object in our assortment of tall contemporary sculpture examples over the years, but those made by America Martin, Shayne Dark, Stefan Traloc, Jane Burton and Nicholas Crombach are often thought to be among the most thought-provoking. Frequently made by artists working in metal, ceramic and steel, these artworks are unique and have attracted attention over the years.

How Much is a Tall Contemporary Sculpture?

The price for a piece of tall contemporary sculpture in our collection starts at $100 and tops out at $60,000 with the average selling for $6,500.

A Close Look at Contemporary Art

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.

Finding the Right Sculptures for You

The history of sculpture as we know it is believed to have origins in Ancient Greece, while small sculptural carvings are among the most common examples of prehistoric art. In short, sculpture as a fine art has been with us forever. A powerful three-dimensional means of creative expression, sculpture has long been most frequently associated with religion — consider the limestone Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt — while the tradition of collecting sculpture, which has also been traced back to Greece as well as to China, far precedes the emergence of museums.

Technique and materials in sculpture have changed over time. Stone sculpture, which essentially began as images carved into cave walls, is as old as human civilization itself. The majority of surviving sculpted works from ancient cultures are stone. Traditionally, this material and pottery as well as metal — bronze in particular — were among the most common materials associated with this field of visual art. Artists have long sought new ways and materials in order to make sculptures and express their ideas. Material, after all, is the vehicle through which artists express themselves, or at least work out the problems knocking around in their heads. It also allows them to push the boundaries of form, subverting our expectations and upending convention. As an influential sculptor as much as he was a revolutionary painter and printmaker, Pablo Picasso worked with everything from wire to wood to bicycle seats.

If you are a lover of art and antiques or are thinking of bringing a work of sculpture into your home for the first time, there are several details to keep in mind. As with all other works of art, think about what you like. What speaks to you? Visit local galleries and museums. Take in works of public art and art fairs when you can and find out what kind of sculpture you like. When you’ve come to a decision about a specific work, try to find out all you can about the piece, and if you’re not buying from a sculptor directly, work with an art expert to confirm the work’s authenticity.

And when you bring your sculpture home, remember: No matter how big or small your new addition is, it will make a statement in your space. Large- and even medium-sized sculptures can be heavy, so hire some professional art handlers as necessary and find a good place in your home for your piece. Whether you’re installing a towering new figurative sculpture — a colorful character by KAWS or hyperreal work by Carole A. Feuerman, perhaps — or an abstract work by Won Lee, you’ll want the sculpture to be safe from being knocked over. (You’ll find that most sculptures should be displayed at eye level, while some large busts look best from below.)

On 1stDibs, find a broad range of exceptional sculptures for sale. Browse works by your favorite creator, style, period or other attribute.

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A new show at Upstate New York’s Corning Museum of Glass shows off the best and brightest contemporary works of the last few years.

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The newly redesigned Norton Museum and other impressive exhibition spaces around Palm Beach are drawing art aficionados to the tony enclave year-round.