Sculpture is a type of three-dimensional fine art that originated in ancient Greece during the classical period. To this day, several real masterpieces have been preserved in the world, which are rightfully considered works of genius. It is not surprising that the corresponding price is indicated on the price tag. We present a rating of the most expensive sculptures that the world has ever seen.
Since its inception, Greek and Roman mythology has been of interest to many artists. And although today there are many theories of the origin of myths (biblical theory, historical, allegorical, physical), experts have not come to a consensus on what a myth is: a fairy tale or a true story. For art, including sculpture, mythology has always been and remains a storehouse of ideas, themes, plots and characters.
10 Ivory Apollo Face ($10 Million)
Apollo, the son of Zeus in Greek and Roman mythology is considered the god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, beauty, music and poetry. Some fragments of an ancient Roman statue of a god made of ivory were illegally excavated a few years ago near Rome (Italy). Among the stolen pieces, according to Italian police, was the face of a statue that experts estimate dates back to the first century AD. After six years of investigation, the fragments were discovered in London. According to the police, “From this period of antiquity, not so many examples of sculpture have come down to us. They are unique and in Italy such works simply do not exist.” A similar marble statue was made in the 15th century. For many centuries, she became a real idol, the embodiment of artistic perfection. In 1996, the "face" of Apollo was sold to Nino Savoca for $10 million.
9 Assyrian Relief ($11.3M)
Sold in 1994 to the Miho Museum for more than $11 million, the Assyrian relief, which dates from around 883-859 B.C., is considered one of the most prized pieces of "Near Eastern antiquity." In fact, he was found on one of the walls of the private boarding school Kenford, in the southwest of England. An extremely expensive relief was found in an ordinary school cafeteria. The school gives a logical explanation to the amazing find. Before turning into an educational institution, Kenford was a private country house, which contained an artifact brought from the ancient city of Nimrud (northern Mesopotamia, the territory of modern Iraq).
8. Venus Barberini ($11.7 million)
Venus Barberini (also known as the Venus of Jackkins) is a copy of the Cnidian Aphrodite, whose statue is considered one of the most famous works of the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles. In 2002, it was sold at Christie's in London for nearly $12 million, breaking the world auction record for antique sculptures. And although the buyer wished to remain anonymous and made the purchase anonymously, there is information that it is an avid art collector, Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Thani.
7. Bronze figurine of a tapir ($12 million)
The bronze tapir is a prime example of typical Chinese figurines dating back to the 4th century BC. The 2,500-year-old figurative wine container is considered a unique example of the art and history of ancient China. On the back of the tapir is a decorative, removable ring used to refill the wine, which is then poured into glasses through the tapir's mouth. It is likely that the figurine was made for a wealthy man who had a tapir as a pet (such an assumption can be made because of the expensive collar depicted on the animal's neck). The bronze figurine was sold to a private collector in 2007 through Littleton&Hennessy Asian Art.
6. Cycladic figurine ($16,882,500)
The idol is considered the most important sculpture from the Cyclades that has ever come up for auction. An ancient image of a woman with an estimated value of $3-5 million was sold at Christie's in December 2010 for almost $17 million. This is a prime example of Cycladic marble art. Typical directional characteristics include a bowed head, bent knees, and folded arms across the chest. It is believed that the proportions of the figure were carefully measured using a compass.
5. Statue of Aphrodite ($18 million)
The statue of Aphrodite was created in the fourth century BC according to the project of the famous Greek sculptor Praxiteles. This is a kind of tribute and expression of respect to the goddess of love and beauty. She is the first example of a depiction of a fully naked goddess. It was purchased by the Getty Museum in 1988 for $18 million through an anonymous seller. The very fact of buying and selling the statue was controversial, since the seller was not identified.
4 Marble Image Of Leda And The Swan ($19,122,500)
The story of Leda refers to the Greek mythological story of Zeus, who fell in love with a beautiful woman and appeared to her in the form of a swan. The concept gained popularity in the 16th century. Then it was believed that the image of a close relationship between a woman and a swan is more decent than the image of a relationship with a man. A sculpture depicting Leda with a swan was discovered around 1775 in Rome. This is a Roman copy of a Greek statue dating from the third century BC. An anonymous buyer purchased the statue at Sotsby's in New York for $19 million.
3. Bust of Antinous ($23,826,500)
Antinous is a Greek youth born in a city that is now in Northern Turkey. Little is known of his life other than that he was in love with the Roman Emperor Hadrian. There is a version that they had a homosexual relationship, many call them lovers. In memory of Antinous, Emperor Hadrian depicted his face on coins. There are several versions of his death: either he drowned in the Nile River, or he was sacrificed to the gods. The Bust of Antinous was sold to a mystery shopper at Sotsby's in 2010 for nearly $24 million.
2. Artemis and the deer ($28.6 million)
"Artemis and the Stag" is the most expensive statue ever sold at auction at the time (2007). The sculpture sold for nearly $29 million to an anonymous buyer represented by art dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi. The goddess of hunting and wild animals was originally depicted with an arrow and a bow, but for some reason the bow was separated from the statue. Sculpture is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful works of art that have come down to us from the classical era. It is worth noting that the statue is very well preserved, it is practically not damaged anywhere.
1. Lioness of Gwenol ($57.2 million)
Found near Baghdad, Iraq, the Lioness of Gwenol is a 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian limestone statue. The sculpture, just over 8 cm high, has been described by Sothesby's as "one of the last known masterpieces from the dawn of civilization left in private hands". The sculpture depicts an anthropomorphic female lioness that was sold for $57.2 million at auction in 2007.
Lovers of contemporary art can take a closer look at the works or. Who knows, maybe centuries later they will also be worth millions.
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Collecting figurines and figurines is a hobby that causes excitement and brings up taste
Today, collecting figurines and figurines is very popular, because they can turn any home into an original world. A fascinating hobby causes excitement, brings up taste, can decorate the interior in a unique way and create comfort in any room. Buy figurines - this means getting small dolls or statues, usually depicting the silhouettes of animals or humans. It is due to the size of the products that the sale of figurines is more relevant when compared with overall statues. Artistic sculptures are made from various materials, including:
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The most sophisticated collectors choose pieces made of gold or silver, wood or ivory, because such pieces satisfy sophisticated requests, drawing them into the charming world of art. At the same time, the cost of a sculpture, for example, silver or gold, is an order of magnitude higher compared to other similar gizmos. A miniature work is valued for its unrivaled artistry and its historical characteristics, so the sale of sculptures made by hand and in limited quantities will never go out of style.
Common groups of figurines and collectible figurines
Among the chic variety of figurines that become collectible, several popular groups stand out. One of them is car figures. They are collected according to various criteria, for example, according to the material of manufacture, according to brands, etc. On the second position - collecting matryoshka dolls, the design of which is carried out by artists with a rich imagination, introducing certain zest into their masterpieces. The top three most popular types of gathering are animal figurines. This is explained simply - there are a lot of them, and everyone can choose any genre to their liking in order to easily collect a large collection of elephants, cats or dogs.
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The rise in prices for art objects did not leave aside sculpture. For a long time, this direction noticeably lagged behind in prices from constantly rising in price painting. However, after the crisis, people again rushed to buy the creations of the masters, this time the sculpture made a breakthrough, overtaking its competitor in pace.
Alberto Giacometti can be considered the record holder among the most expensive sculptors, in just a few years his work has increased in price by 4 times. And in 2010, the Swiss became the author of the most expensive sculpture in the world. The new record stands at $104 million, beating its predecessor by a third. Of all the art objects at auction, only the Picasso painting paid more. But not only the works of Giacometti are valued, which will be discussed below.
Alberto Giacometti, Walking Man I, 1961. This sculpture was sold in 2010 at Sotheby's for a record $104.327 million. The figurine of a walking man has a height of 183 cm. This is only the first version of the sculptor's work on this topic. It is "Walking Man I" that is considered the most important creation of the master. Giacometti created the sculpture in 1961 for the town square. That is why the work came out quite high - with human growth. Like other creations of Giacometti, there is a modernism characteristic of him. The figure was created with minimal detail, the form itself is much more important here. The sculpture depicts a lonely and fragile pedestrian. The work became famous after the 1962 Venice Art Exhibition. "Walking Man" has been called a modest image of a man, but a powerful symbol of humanity. After all, the figure seems to be going against the wind. The sculpture is considered one of the most iconic works of art nouveau and is even featured on the Swiss 100 franc banknote.
Damien Hirst, "For the Love of God", 2007. This work is better known under the name "Diamond Skull". It represents the bones of the human head, made of platinum and encrusted with diamonds. The author is the famous and already cult English artist Damien Hirst. His sculpture is the most expensive work of art among all the creators living today. The skull, 20 cm high, is a reduced copy of a 35-year-old resident of Europe who lived in the 18th-19th centuries. The surface of the sculpture is studded with 8601 diamonds with a total weight of 1106 carats. In the center of the skull is a large pink diamond. The sculptor himself, his work cost 1 million British pounds. For the first time this masterpiece was shown to the public in 2007 at the White Cube Gallery in London. In the same year, the sculpture was purchased for the purpose of investment by a consortium of the creator himself, his manager Frank Dunphy and Ukrainian businessman Viktor Pinchuk for $100 million.
Amedeo Modigliani, Head, 1910-1912. This work was sold at Christie's auction in 2010 for $ 59.5 million. The height of the sculpture is about 65 cm, the master worked on it for several years. As a result, it became his most expensive work. Surprisingly, Modigliani is better known as an artist "In his paintings, women are depicted with elongated necks and heads. The head was shown to the public in 1912, becoming a typical part of Modigliani's work. Here, all the same oval face and almond-shaped eyes, small mouth and long thin nose, as in the portraits. 1927 "Head" was in the private collection of Gaston Levy, the founder of the supermarket chain. The sculpture was estimated at about 7 million, but at auction its price suddenly increased. Interestingly, there are also bronze castings of such heads, but they cost tens of thousands. In this case the high price is determined by the material - the master himself worked on the stone.
Unknown author, "The Lioness of Guennola", circa 3000-2800 BC. e. The works of not only modern masters, but also ancient geniuses are valued. In 2007, this sculpture was sold at Sotheby's for $57 million. And in this case, the price exceeded the estimated one by 3-4 times. As a result, this piece of ancient art is the most expensive in the world. The figurine is small, only 8 cm high. It was created by someone in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago. It was created at a time when people invented money, the wheel, began to build big cities. The figurine was then worn around the neck. And they found this item in Iraq, near Baghdad. From 1948, it was kept by a private American collector, Alistair Martin, until he decided to sell it. The former owner decided to send all the proceeds to charity.
Alberto Giacometti, Diego's Big Head, 1954. Another work of the famous Swiss in 2010 was valued at Christie's at $53.3 million. And in this case, the initial price was significantly exceeded. The sculpture depicts Giacometti's constant model throughout his life - his brother Diego. Like the other works of the sculptor, this one is cast in bronze. Its frozen forms have forever preserved for posterity the touch of the fingers of a genius and his prints. This is the essence of Giacometti's technique - symbolism and incompleteness, which symbolizes the imperfection of our world and the constant desire of a person to be in search. The master cast this sculpture to be placed on one of the squares in New York. Although Giacometti did not have time to finish working on it due to death, it is still valued among collectors.
Henri Matisse, Nude female figure from the back IV, 1930. This work also has a serial number. This is the fourth version of the relief "Standing with her back to the viewer", and the most memorable and grandiose. 12 casts were taken from the sculpture, the best examples are in the leading museums of the world. In private ownership, there were only two copies, one of which went on sale. At auction Christie's for the sculpture in 2010 gave 48.8 million dollars. Matisse's series of four full-length bronze reliefs is considered the greatest phenomenon in the modernism of the last century. Matisse repeatedly made changes to "Standing with her back to the viewer." Each new interpretation of it changed the position of the figure, the surface. Thus, the sculptor tried to achieve the ideal image. The fourth attempt took place two decades after the first.
Constantin Brancusi, Madam LR., 1918. Sculptor Constantin Brancusi from Romania was able to create his own original style - sculptural abstraction. He was the first to develop a new direction. As a result, the work of Brancusi had a great influence on all modern sculpture. The most famous work of the master was sold in 2009 for 37.1 million dollars. Yves Saint Laurent's art collection was then sold at Christie's auction. Brancusi used flowing stylized contours, reinforcing the laconicism and geometric abstraction of forms. The wooden sculpture, named after a certain Madame LR, lacks the rich emotional background usually found in works of art.
Henry Moore, Reclining Figure: Festival, 1951. As recently as 2012, Christie's paid $30.1 million for this work. The sculptor himself called the "Reclining Figure" one of his three best creations. The work is an openwork reclining figure of a woman. Despite the fragility, its forms look monolithic. Henry Moore was commissioned to cast it for the 1951 British Festival. By that time, the sculptor already owned the prize of the Venice Exhibition, being the most famous English modern sculptor. The festival celebrated the centenary of the 1851 World's Fair and was intended to showcase the achievements of modern Britain and its striving for modernism.
Pablo Picasso, "Head of a Woman. Dora Maar", 1941. In 2007, a Picasso sculpture sold at Sotheby's for $29.1 million became the most expensive sculpture in the world. True, she did not wear such a title for long. Beloved master, French artist and photographer Dora Maar, has taken a special place in his work. Picasso, in addition to her paintings, also cast the image of a woman in bronze.
Constantin Brancusi, Bird in Space, 1922-1923. Brancusi paid special attention to birds, he collected 27 pieces of work with them - a whole series. These creatures differ in shapes and sizes. Critics consider "Bird in Space" to be the best work. In 2005, a Christie's auction fetched $27.4 million for it. This sculpture differs from its predecessors in that the traditional zigzag tail and beak have turned into two spindle points. The bird itself has become a universal generalized form. Given the cost of the work, the shape can be considered ideal. In addition, even a bar of gold in the form of such a spindle would cost less. Which once again emphasizes the power and value of art. Initially, the work was owned by Parisian Léonie Rica, an art lover and owner of a glamorous salon. But after the hostess broke up with her husband, "Bird" first went to the bank vault, and then went up for auction. It is believed that "Bird in Space" was purchased jointly by three American dealers.
The art of sculpture in our time has probably reached its apogee, at least as regards the price and demand for the work of masters. On May 12, 2015, at Christie's auction (it is the largest auction house in the world after Sotheby's) in New York, another price record was broken: the rather controversial sculpture "Man Pointing" by Alberto Giacometti was sold for an incredible amount of 141.3 million dollars! This is almost 40 million more than the previous top lot - another work of this Swiss master "Walking Man I".
Sculpture "Pointing man", 1947
Author: Alberto Giacometti
Height: 180 cm
Price: $141.3 million
Place, time of sale: Christie's, May 2015
The Pointing Man is the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction. This is one of six similar bronze statues by Giacometti created in 1947. The sculpture that went under the hammer at Christie's has been kept in a private collection for the last 45 years. Its former owner bought the work from American collectors Fred and Florence Olsen in 1970. They, in turn, purchased the masterpiece in 1953 from the son of the famous French artist Henri Matisse Pierre The rest of the "pointing" sculptures are kept in museums around the world, including the New York MoMA and London's Tate gallery, as well as in private collections.
The lot sold at Christie's differs from others in that Giacometti hand-painted it. The sculptor created the statue in a few hours - between midnight and nine in the morning, he told his biographer. The Swiss master was preparing for his first exhibition in New York in 15 years. “I had already made a plaster cast, but I destroyed and created again and again, because the workers of the foundry had to pick it up in the morning. When they got the cast, the plaster was still wet," he recalled.
Depicting thin, highly elongated figures of people, symbolizing loneliness and insecurity of existence, the sculptor began after the Second World War, during which Giacometti was forced to move from France to Switzerland and settle in Geneva. Giacometti's work is considered one of the most expensive on the contemporary art market. On the eve of the auction, experts estimated the cost of "Pointing Man" at $ 130 million - higher than the cost of the previous record holder, "Walking Man I" by the same author. The name of the buyer, who laid out $141.3 million for the sculpture, was not disclosed.
Sculpture "Walking Man I", 1961 
Author: Alberto Giacometti
Height: 183 cm
Price: $104.3 million
Place, time: Sotheby's, February 2010
Walking Man I is considered one of the most recognizable sculptures of the 20th century. The work, along with a portrait of its author, is even depicted on the 100 Swiss franc note. In 2010, it appeared at auction for the first time in twenty years - the lot was put up by the German Dresdner Bank AG, which acquired a masterpiece for the corporate collection, but after the takeover of Commerzbank, got rid of the art objects. The sellers promised to donate the proceeds from Walking Man I to charity.
The sculpture caused a real stir. At least ten applicants fought for it in the hall, but the highest price was finally offered by an anonymous buyer by phone. Bidding lasted eight minutes, during which time the starting price of the lot rose five times (and, together with the commission, almost six times).
Experts from The Wall Street Journal suggested that the anonymous buyer was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who bought a bronze statue of a woman created by Giacometti in 1956 two years earlier. However, Bloomberg later found out that Lily Safra, the widow of Brazilian banker Edmond Safra, became the owner of the statue.
Sculpture "For the love of the Lord", 2007 
Author: Damien Hirst
Dimensions: 17.1 x 12.7 x 19.1 cm
Price: $100 million
Place, time: 2007
The sculpture, made by the famous British artist Damien Hirst from 2 kg of platinum, is a slightly reduced copy of the skull of a 35-year-old European of the 18th century. The cells for diamonds (8601 in total) are laser cut, the jaw is made of platinum, and real teeth are inserted. The skull is crowned with a pink diamond weighing 52.4 carats. The work cost the British artist, famous for his scandalous installations using animal corpses in formalin, £14 million.
Hirst claimed that the name of the sculpture was inspired by the words of the mother when she turned to him with the question: For the love of God, what are you going to do next? ("For God's sake, what are you doing now?"). For the love of God is a literal quote from the First Epistle of John.
In 2007, the skull was exhibited at the White Cube Gallery and sold for $100m (£50m) the same year. Bloomberg and The Washington Post wrote that Damien Hirst himself, as well as Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk, were among the investors. A representative of the White Cube gallery did not comment on the rumors, but said that the buyers intend to subsequently resell Hirst's work.
Sculpture "Head", 1910-1912 
Author: Amedeo Modigliani
Height: 65 cm
Price: $59.5 million
Place, time: Christie's, June 2010
For the work of Amedeo Modigliani, collectors bargained over the phone, as a result, the sculpture went under the hammer for $ 59.5 million, which was ten times higher than the starting price. The name of the buyer was not disclosed, but it is known that he comes from Italy.
Modigliani did not work on sculpture for long - from 1909 to 1913, when the artist returned to painting again, including due to tuberculosis. The "Head" sold at Christie's is part of a collection of seven sculptures "Pillars of Tenderness", which the author exhibited in 1911 in the studio of the Portuguese artist Amadeo de Sousa-Cordoso. All works are distinguished by a pronounced oval head, almond-shaped eyes, long, thin nose, small mouth and elongated neck.Experts also draw analogies between Modigliani's sculpture and the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti, which is kept in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
Sculpture "Dog from balloons (orange)", 1994-2000 
Author: Jeff Koons
Dimensions: 307.3 x 363.2 x 114.3 cm
Price: $58 million
Place, time: Christie's, November 2013
The stainless steel dog came to the auction from the collection of businessman Peter Brant, having previously visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Grand Canal in Venice and the Palace of Versailles. The pre-sale estimate for the lot, three meters high and weighing a ton, was $55 million. The orange dog is the first of five "air" dogs created by the American artist. The remaining four sculptures also went to collections, but were sold at a lower price.
Commercial success came to Koons, a former Wall Street broker, in 2007. Then his giant metal installation Hanging Heart was sold at Sotheby's for $23.6 million. The following year, the huge purple Balloon Flower went to Christie's for $25.8 million. In 2012, the Tulips sculpture "was sold at Christie's for $33.7 million.
Sculpture "The Lioness of Guennola", circa 3000-2800 BC 
Author unknown
Height: 8.26 cm
Price: $57.1 million
Place, time: Sotheby's, January 2007
Created in ancient Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago, the limestone figurine was found in 1931 in Iraq, near Baghdad. In the head of the lioness, two holes for a lace or chain were preserved: it was intended to be worn around the neck. Since 1948, the work has belonged to the famous American collector Alistair Bradley Martin and has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Announcing the decision to sell the sculpture, Martin promised to send the proceeds to charity.
The antique "Lioness" set a price record for sculptures in 2007 at New York's Sotheby's, moving Picasso's bronze "Head of a Woman" from first place, sold less than a month earlier for $ 29.1 million. The final price for the sculpture exceeded the initial more than three times.5 buyers took part in the struggle for the figurine, the winner of the auction wished to remain anonymous.
Sculpture "Diego's Big Head", 1954 
Author: Alberto Giacometti
Height: 65 cm
Price: $53.3 million
Place, time: Christie's, May 2010
The bronze sculpture depicts Alberto Giacometti's younger brother Diego, he was the Swiss master's favorite model. There are several "heads", the last of the series was sold at Sotheby's in 2013 for $ 50 million. Diego's Big Head was cast for installation on a street square in New York, work on it was suspended due to the death of the author. , sold under the hammer at Christie's, was $ 25-35 million.
Giacometti has been in the top 10 most expensive artists in the world since 2002, after the sale of several works by the artist at Christie's. The most expensive figurine sold then was the third of eight copies of the Cage sculpture - it was estimated at $ 1.5 million. However It was 2010 that became a landmark for the artist, when Giacometti's works began to be evaluated at the level of Picasso's paintings.
Sculpture "Nude female figure from the back IV", 1958 
Author: Henri Matisse
Height: 183 cm
Price: $48.8 million
Place, time: Christie's, November 2010
Experts call the bronze bas-relief "Nude female figure from the back IV" the most striking of the four works of the "Standing with her back to the viewer" series, and the entire series - the greatest creation of modernist sculpture of the twentieth century.
Until 2010, none of the sculptures of this cycle were put up for auction, although the bas-relief sold at Christie's is not the only one: a plaster cast for each series was cast immediately in 12 copies. The height of one figure is 183 cm, weight is more than 270 kg Now the complete series of Standing Back to the Viewer are held in nine leading museums in the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London and the Pompidou Center in Paris. Only two copies remained in private collections, one of which was sold under the hammer.
"Nude female figure from the back IV" was originally estimated at $ 25-35 million, and the amount paid for it became a record for a Matisse work ever sold at auction.
Sculpture "Madame L.R.", 1914-1917 
Author: Constantin Brancusi
Price: $37.2 million
Place, time: Christie's, February 2009
The legendary sculptor of Romanian origin gained worldwide fame in Paris, where he lived for 35 years. His work had a great influence on the development of modern sculpture, Brancusi was called the founder of sculptural abstraction. From the very beginning of its existence, the Pompidou Center has had a separate "Brancusi Room".
Wooden figurine of Madame L.R. was created by Brancusi in 1914-1917. This is one of his most famous works. It is believed that "Madame L.R." conveys the traditional style of Carpathian carving and the influence of African art on the author's work. The sculpture was sold in 2009 at Christie's as part of the art collection of the French couturier Yves Saint Laurent.
Sculpture "Tulips", 1995-2004 
Author: Jeff Koons
Price: $33.7 million
Place, time: Christie's, November 2012
“The numbers on the price tag sometimes seem astronomical to me. But people pay such amounts because they dream of joining the art process. Their right,” Jeff Koons reasoned in an interview with Interview magazine after his Tulips were sold for $ 33, 7 million Koons called the most successful American artist after Warhol.
"Tulips" are one of the most complex and largest sculptures from the Festive Series (with apparent weightlessness, they weigh more than three tons). This is a bouquet of seven intertwined "balloon" flowers, made of stainless steel and coated with translucent paint.
The sculpture, which, according to the author's intention, reveals the concept of childlike innocence, was bought in 2012 by one of the most extravagant heroes of Las Vegas, casino owner and billionaire Steve Wynn. He chose to showcase the acquisition at Wynn Las Vegas, a "public art" businessman who often exhibits items from his collection at his resorts.
forbes.ru
At all times, art was valued, but it did not always bear fruit. Many currently famous sculptors, artists, musicians were not in demand during their lives. But at the present stage, art is valued very highly, both in aesthetic and monetary terms. The art of sculpture has reached an incredible climax in modern society. The work of sculptors is incredibly difficult and beautiful, and many wealthy people are willing to pay a simply exorbitant price to become the owner of one of the sculptures that have received worldwide popularity.
The most popular sculptures in the world
- Walking Man by Alberto Giacometti. The cost of the sculpture was 104.3 million dollars, created in 1961. This sculpture is one of the most recognizable sculptures in the world of the 20th century.
- "For the Love of God" by Damien Hirst. The cost of the sculpture is 100 million dollars, created in 2007. It is a platinum human skull, encrusted with a huge number of diamonds.
- "Head", by Amedeo Modigliani, the cost of the sculpture is 59.5 million dollars, created in 1910-1912. This work of art is stored in the Egyptian Museum of Britain and is an elongated head with almond-shaped eyes.
- Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons. The sculpture cost $58 million. This work of art is a huge dog made of "balloons".
- The Lioness of Guennola, author unknown. The sculpture cost $57.16 million. The height of the figurine is only 8 centimeters, it is presented in the form of an irregularly shaped lioness. All the funds that the owner-seller received for them were sent to a special charitable foundation. All that is known about it is the place of manufacture - Mesopotamia.
- Diego's Big Head by Alberto Giacometti. The sculpture is made of bronze and represents a long, elongated face, modeled after the author's younger and most beloved brother, Diego.
- "Nude female figure from the back 4" by Henri Matisse. The sculpture cost $48.8 million. This sculpture is part of the series "Standing with its back to the viewer" and became the greatest creation of modernist sculpture of the 20th century. This work of art is a bronze bas-relief.
In 2015, at one of the auctions held in New York, the sculpture "Pointing Man" by Alberto Giacometti was exhibited. It sold overnight for $141.3 million, earning it the title of "Most Expensive Sculpture in the World". This work of art was created back in 1947, the height of the sculpture was 180 centimeters, and it was estimated at 130 million dollars.
Interesting Facts:
- The most expensive sculpture in the world was created by the Swiss sculptor, painter and graphic artist Alberto Giacometti, who was one of the greatest masters of the twentieth century.
- All the works of this author can be attributed to the style of "French avant-garde of the 20th century." All the people portrayed by Alberto Giacometti characterize lonely individuals who do not mean anything. This is a person who is in constant search of his inner "I".
- The record was set at Christie's in New York, where the sculpture sold for $141.3 million in 2015. The theme of the auction sounded like "Forward to the past."
- The Pointing Man was hand-painted by Alberto Giacometti, which makes the sculpture absolutely unique and adds to its value.
- Before the appearance of the "Pointing Man", the most expensive sculpture in the world was the "Walking Man", made by the same author a little later, in 1967 and sold for 104 million dollars.
- The Pointing Man is one of six sculptures of the same theme created by Alberto Giacometti.
- This sculpture has become the most expensive sculpture in the world ever sold at auction. Pointing Man was the author's first own exhibition in 15 years. He was very prepared for it, and in just a few hours, working at night, Giacometti created a work of art, which in the future received the status of the most expensive sculpture in the world.
- The sculpture was created in 1947, its height is 180 cm, and its material is pure bronze.
- Before the "Pointing Man" was sold for the largest amount, for forty years it was in the private collection of Pierre Matisse, son of the famous artist Henri Mathias.
- All sculptures by Alberto Giacometti are the most expensive. And the author himself has been in the top ten most expensive sculptors in the world since 2002.
- Starting in 2010, Giacometti's work began to be judged by the value and value of Picasso himself.
- The author suffered from epilepsy, which is why his peculiar perception can be explained by an epileptic distortion of reality. The constant feeling of one's own fragility, human disproportion, understanding of the unexpectedness of death - all this influenced the artistic accent of Alberto Giacometti.
- The high thin body of the "Pointing Man", his thin and long arms - express loneliness, the fragility of the human body in outer space, vulnerability and defenselessness. In other words, this sculpture, like others from this series, characterizes the isolation of the individual, the importance of not the outer shell, but the search for one's inner "I".
- The name of the buyer who decided to pay $141.3 million for the Pointing Man sculpture has not been disclosed and is still unknown.
Alberto Giacometti passed away in 1966, leaving behind a world heritage of avant-garde sculpture of the 20th century, which many art connoisseurs from all over the world are fighting for, and ready to pay a lot of money for them.
