Nikola L

Sculptor Ranier Lagemann focuses on the human form — frozen in motion — in his modern stainless steel sculptures. Using a series of hollow squares, Lagemann welds together figurative sculptures that emphasize the strength and fragility of the body.

Before his career in art, Lagemann worked as an interior designer. He founded his firm, Bay Window Coverings, in 1988, in Berkeley, California, as well as The Magazine, an import and retail company focused on bringing European furniture to the United States. In 2005, Lagemann learned how to weld. After developing a passion for the medium, Lagemann sold his share in The Magazine in 2007 to fully concentrate on his art.

Lagemann imbues his sculptures with layers of significance. The colors of the squares offer depth and vibrancy, with each square symbolizing the range of human experience, including emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual capacities. The shadows cast by the pieces add a layer of intrigue and wonder. Each piece is highly adaptable to fit into diverse spaces, its meaning changing according to the environment in which it is displayed.

Lagemann’s sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and public installations all over the world. Nikola Rukaj Gallery in Toronto, Ode to Art gallery in Singapore and DTR Modern Galleries in Boston, Washington, DC, New York and Palm Beach have all exhibited his work. Some of his public installations include the Hotel Monopol in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the lobby of the i-Lab Building at Harvard University and the Lenox Hotel in Boston.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Ranier Lagemann’s sculptures and paintings.

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.

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.