Stay very still, it’s time for the list of 12 famous modern sculptures in the world. There are countless sculptures in the world, some of them are even from 40,000 years ago, but despite all the years they are still tourist attractions. From its beginning, sculptures have been monumental and significantly important to people. My wife is a sculptor and having watched the process in real life, it’s pretty fascinating. Her hands literally bring things to life out of clay–pretty cool–and I’m not just saying that because I’m married to her.
One of my favorite untrue facts about sculptures is that military sculptures with people (likely men) on horses have a secret code. They (people who are wrong according to Snopes, claim that the number of hooves lifted into the air on equestrian statues reveals how the riders died. The code sometimes went that if the horses had two hooves in the air the rider died in battle, one they were injured in battle and all hooves on the ground, the rider died peacefully. It’s a shame that it’s not true, but it’s still fun to think about when looking at random park statutes.
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Sculptures are the oldest form of art, according to Scholastic, people carved before they painted. In the 20th-century people started experimenting with new styles, materials, and ideas. People then were making sculptures to new subjects like dreams, emotions, ideas from chromium, plastics, boxes, pieces of old furniture and welded steel. My sculptures would be all pizza boxes and Coke cans.
In the past, people used to build sculptures for different kind of reasons, most of them were probably made to supply magical help to hunters, to represent gods, to make the kings immortal and also to give honor to their heroes and soldiers. Some of these ancient sculptures are huge, it is still a mystery how some of them were built. Some works took more than 100 years to built. You can check our list of 11 Most Famous Sculptures in the World to see a few of them.
Today, people are building sculptures for different kind of reasons. In some cities there are a number of different sculptures to give the city a special and unique look, or because something happened on that place in the past. Still classic reasons remain and they are also making them honor their soldiers or heroes like people in the ancient history did.
It is not a secret and as you can see the sculptures are one of the hardest forms of art, because they require incredible skill, patience to craft and attention to detail. It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or you have been making sculptures your whole life, they all require a lot of time. Some of them may take you more than 10 years. You probably know some of the most popular sculptors like Donatello, Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Auguste Rodin and Constantin Brancusi. These are the biggest legends of all time when it comes to sculptures, but of course, there are many more. Cities with unique modern sculptures attract many tourists because they want to see the beauty of them and to see the sculptor’s amazing skills.
Helped by Bored Panda, Touropedia, and Hello Travel, we decided to make a list of 12 famous modern sculptures in the world. The are not ranked, as art is pretty subjective–this is simply a compilation list based on our modern sculpture research–which is built on previous research, so it’s substantive. A lot of them are representing a major tourist attraction, especially those which have special historical meaning. Now let’s take a look at some stone cold art!
12. People of the River
Located in Singapore, Malaysia this sculpture is created by Chong Fah Cheong. This is one of the most recognizable pieces in the world. People love it because they can see the joy kids could experience in this place.
11. The Monument of the Anonymous Passerby
Created by Jerzy Kalina back in 1977, this sculpture is located in Wroclaw, Poland and it is considered for one of the most beautiful places to visit in this country. It is made in an honor of an anonymous passerby, for whom is believed that he disappeared under the ground.
10. Mustangs at Las Colinas
Mustangs is another bronze sculpture created by sculptor Robert Glen. Located in Irving, Texas, and created in 1984, it represents the importance of the wild mustangs in Texas.
9. Expansion
We are continuing our list of famous modern sculptures in the world with the Expansion sculpture that is located in New York City. This amazing sculpture has been a tourist attraction since it was created by Paige Bradley. Expansion sculpture is resembling Bradley herself, as her own role model who sits in a lotus position and radiates from within. As she asks “Would we recognize ourselves if we could expand beyond our bodies? Would we still be able to exist if we were authentically ‘un-contained’?”
8. The Spring Temple Buddha
Located in Zhaocun township of Lushan County, China, The Spring Temple Buddha, that ranked 8th on our list of famous modern sculptures in the world was built from 1997 to 2008. It is 420 feet tall including 66 feet the locust throne and it is made of 108kg of gold, 3,300 tons of copper, alloy and 15,000 tons of steel and it costs approximately $55 million.
Romolo Tavani/Shutterstock.com
7. Statue of Unity
The Statue of Unity is dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and even though it is still not finished completely, it is one of the most visited tourist attractions. Statue of Unity is located in Gujarat and with its 597 feet tall, it is the world’s tallest statue. If you want to learn more interesting facts you can check it here – Statue of Unity.
6. Ushiku Daibutsu
Located in Ushiku, Japan, this statue is 393 feet tall with its base 33 feet base and 33 feet platform. Ushiku Daibutsu is one of the tallest sculptures, it is made of bronze and it was built in 1993. It takes the 6th place on this list of 12 famous modern sculptures in the world.
5. The Little Mermaid
Created by Edvard Eriksen, this bronze statue, next on our list of famous modern sculptures in the world is located Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 4.1 feet tall, it weighs 385 pounds and it attracts many tourists. The Little Mermaid was made back in 1913.
4. Christ of the Abyss
This bronze statue is made in honor of Jesus Christ. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and it is created by the sculptor Guido Galletti. After some fixes and repairs, since 2004, the sculpture is in the waters once again.
3. The Motherland Calls
The Motherland Calls is located in Volgograd, Russia and created by Nikolai Nikitin and Yevgeny Vuchetich in 1967. With 170 feet tall, it is considered as the tallest woman sculpture in the world.
2. Christ the Redeemer
Located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this sculpture that ranked second on our list of famous modern sculptures in the world is 98 feet tall plus 26 feet the pedestal. Its creator is French sculptor Landowski Paul and it was created in 1931. Also, it is one of the most known Rio symbols.
Ksenia Ragozina / Shutterstock.com
1. Statue Of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is the colossal neoclassical sculpture in New York City. It is one of the most famous sculptures in the world designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. It is 151 feet tall, but together with pedestal and foundation, it is 305 feet tall. It was made in 1886. Thanks France!
NTM Photography/Shutterstock.com
If you ever have a chance, you should visit some of these 12 famous modern sculptures in the world.
