Sculptures are some of the most beautiful forms of art, especially the 11 Most Famous Sculptures in the World. Like The Most Expensive Stolen Paintings in the World, they are gazed upon by thousands, even millions, of tourists per year and many of them have been raging in popularity for centuries. Some of the most famous sculptures may surprise you; you may have never heard of them. Others are pieces of art well known by all. They come from almost all regions of the world, from remote islands to right in the heart of big cities. Three of them reside in the United States, three of them in Europe and two in China.
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Built by engineers, artists, craftsmen and people of all trades and nationalities, these sculptures are incredibly diverse in style and makeup. Some weigh up to 700 tons and others are engraved into the sides of mountains. Still others were built during the Old Kingdom of the Ancient World, back when the calendar dates were decreasing instead of increasing.
Take a tour of some of the hottest tourist attractions, backed by visitors’ statistics, while you explore the 11 Most Famous Sculptures in the World.
11. Easter Island’s Moai
– 80,000 visitors a year, according to BBC News.
These sculptures are known for their unusually large lips and boxed chins. All 887 of them were crafted by the Chilean Polynesian people between 1250 and 1500, the tallest reaching 10 meters and the heaviest weighing 86 tons.
10. Paris’s Thinker
– over 700,000 visitors every year, according to the museum’s website.
This French sculpture is bronze and depicts a man in a very contemplative position. Often used as a symbol of philosophy, The Thinker was created by Auguste Rodin and first appeared in 1904. Though there are many casts and replicas throughout the world, the original statue can be found in Rodin, Paris.
9. Italy’s Statue of David
– around 1.3 million visitors every year, according to Telegraph.
If you have never seen a replica of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture, you must live under a rock. Created in the early 1500’s, this Renaissance masterpiece is a model of the scriptural hero David, the one who killed Goliath. It still attracts many visitors and rests at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy.
8. Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer
– nearly 2 million visitors each year, according to AirPano.
This lifelike depiction of Jesus Christ is 30 meters tall, including an 8-meter pedestal. The arm span alone reaches 28 meters. A variety of artists collaborated to create it, including French sculptor Paul Landowski, Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, French engineer Albert Caquot and Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida. It resides at the top of the Corcovado Mountain which overlooks Rio, Brazil. It first appeared in 1931 and has remained a powerful symbol of Christianity ever since.
7. America’s Mount Rushmore
– nearly 3 million visitors a year, according to Visitrapidcity.
Located in the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota and carved by the Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Mount Rushmore displays the heads of four United States Presidents- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. It was created in 1941 to promote tourism in the area.
6. New York’s Statue of Liberty
– 3.2 million visitors each year, according to NYC Tourist.
Another American sculpture on the list of 11 Most Famous Sculptures in the world, “Lady Liberty” was dedicated in 1886 and carries a torch in one hand, and a tablet inscribed with the Declaration of Independence in the other. She was seen by millions of immigrants upon their arrival at the Ellis Island Immigration Port and still serves as a classic symbol of American freedom.
5. China’s Grand Buddha
– 3.8 million visitors in 2013, according to CNN.
Residing in Lingshan Park in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China, this 88-meter statue was completed in 1996 and weighs over 700 tons. Of the many Buddha statues in the world, it is one of the largest and most popular.
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4. Egypt’s Great Sphinx of Giza
– 4 million visitors annually, according to Mail & Guardian Africa.
The famous Great Sphinx is made of limestone and has a lion’s body and a human’s head. The face is said to represent the face of the Pharaoh Khafra. It rests on the west bank of the Nile River on the Giza Plateau. Known as the oldest monumental sculpture and one of the 7 Wonders of the World, it was built by the ancient Egyptians as far back as the Old Kingdom.
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3. Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial
– approximately 7.14 million visitors in 2014, according to Statista.
The statue of the renowned president who led the United States through the Civil War is the most frequently-visited presidential monument in the states. It is 19 feet high and sits inside a marble building with flights of elegant stairs leading up to it. This work of art crafted by Daniel Chester French was also where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
2. France’s Winged Victory
– nearly 10 million visitors per year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
This statue represents the famous Greek Goddess Nike, which means victory. It was discovered in 1863 and stands 8 feet high, though the head and arms are missing. It has one right wing which stretches behind the goddess as she delivers the shout of victory.
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1. China’s Terracotta Army
– about 10 million visitors annually, according to iLook China.
Discovered in 1974 guarding the grave of their commander, these depict the massive army of the first Emperor of China. Information on who exactly crafted them is still unknown. More than 8,000 uniquely carved soldiers are included, as well as 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. They currently reside in The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Xi’an in Shaanxi, China and top the list of the 11 Most Famous Sculptures in the World.
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