2,569 Sculptures in Museums

Best Sculptures in Museums & Where to Find Them

From ancient Greek and Egyptian statues to Renaissance marble and bronze works by Michelangelo, Bernini, Rodin, and Cellini. Browse by material, origin, or museum to find famous sculptures you can see in person.

Browse by Material

Each material gives sculpture a different character. Bronze captures fine detail, marble mimics flesh, and wood warms any space.

Common Questions About Sculptures

Bronze, marble, and stone are the most common. Bronze was preferred for freestanding figures because it's strong, holds fine detail, and survives outdoors. Marble has a translucent quality that mimics human skin, which is why sculptors like Canova and Michelangelo favored it. Wood, terracotta, ivory, and porcelain round out the list.

Michelangelo's David (1504) in Florence is widely considered the most recognized. Rodin's The Thinker, the Venus de Milo at the Louvre, and Bernini's Apollo and Daphne at the Borghese Gallery are close behind.

The Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the British Museum in London all hold world-class sculpture collections spanning thousands of years. The Vatican Museums and the Borghese Gallery in Rome are essential for Baroque and classical works.

Carving removes material (marble, stone, wood) to reveal the form. It's subtractive. Casting pours molten metal into a mold, an additive process. Michelangelo believed figures already existed inside marble, waiting to be freed. Rodin worked in both methods but is best known for his bronzes.

The Lion-man of Hohlenstein-Stadel, carved from mammoth ivory roughly 40,000 years ago, is the oldest known figurative sculpture. Ancient Egyptian sculptures date back over 5,000 years. Ancient Greek sculpture, which shaped all of Western art, began around 700 BC.

Michelangelo, Bernini, Rodin, and Donatello top most lists. Praxiteles was the most celebrated sculptor in ancient Greece. Canova dominated the Neoclassical era. In modern art, Calder invented the mobile and Louise Bourgeois redefined what sculpture could be.

Most ancient bronze sculptures were melted down for weapons, coins, or new castings. Marble statues were burned for lime or destroyed during religious conflicts. What survives is a fraction of what existed. Much of what we know about lost Greek originals comes from Roman marble copies.

Sculpture-Inspired Art for Your Walls

Luxury wall art with the same drama and dimension as gallery sculptures. Canvas prints that command attention.

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Best Sculptures in Museums & Where to Find Them

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Browse by Origin

Featured Sculptures

Christ the Redeemer

David

Mount Rushmore

Statue of Liberty

Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)

Elgin Marbles (Parthenon Sculptures)

Cloud Gate (The Bean)

Terracotta Army

Market Gate of Miletus

The Three Graces

Genius of Victory

The Kiss

Pazzi Madonna

Ludovisi Throne

Pergamon Altar

Statue of Ramesses II

Monument to Balzac

Ishtar Gate

Tian Tan Buddha

The Little Mermaid

The Four Evangelists

Dying Gaul

Sala delle Cariatidi

The Thinker

The Burghers of Calais

The Gates of Hell

Charging Bull

The Motherland Calls

Doryphoros

The Walking Man

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

Apollo and Daphne

David

Wake

Fountain of the Four Rivers

Medici Venus

Judith and Holofernes

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Berlin Gold Hat

Tomb of Napoleon

Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

The Thinker

Moai (Easter Island Statues)

Fearless Girl

Apollo Belvedere

Discobolus

Bust of Nefertiti

Venus de Milo

Common Questions About Sculptures

Sculpture-Inspired Art for Your Walls