10 famous sculptors from Brazil and the world and their exceptional works

When you think of famous sculptors, names like Michelangelo Buonarroti and Auguste Rodin probably come to mind. However, if we ask you about your stories and ask you to name other famous older sculptors, you may have more difficulties.

To clear your mind and make you an “expert” on the subject, we created this list with the most famous sculptors in the world and in Brazil!

2 famous ancient sculptors and their great productions
Donatello (1386-1466)

Opening this list of famous sculptors is the Italian Renaissance artist Donatello who, at just 20 years old, was already receiving commissions for his pieces.

Focused on representing saints, the works of this, who is one of the most famous sculptors in the world, impress by the harmony of their faces. They were so well performed that they moved, as they seemed to express feelings.

Made of wood, “Madalena Arrependida” is one of his best-known sculptures.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1569)

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the great geniuses of humanity and the most revered sculptor of all time.

A perfectionist and owner of an innate talent, he not only shined in sculpture, but also produced jaw-dropping canvases. In addition, he was an accomplished architect.

His special interest in the human body made the genius study a lot of the subject, a fact that reflected in his artistic production. This is because, even today, his pieces impress with the richness of detail and the grace of their shapes.

His sculpture “Pietà” is certainly one of the artist's most iconic and also one of the most famous in history.

4 famous sculptors of the 20th century and their best-known pieces
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Edgar Degas was not only a famous sculptor, painter and printmaker, but also one of the fathers of impressionism.

The Frenchman was passionate about the theme of ballet and became known beyond his time for creating sculptures with this theme.

One of his most applauded pieces is “La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans”.

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

Considered the forerunner of modern sculpture, the Frenchman Auguste Rodin had an incomparable talent, since from the beginning of his career he already had a unique ability to model works in clay.

Furthermore, he went against the status quo of the time. This is because the sculpture works of the early 20th century were mostly decorative and stereotyped. With a look beyond his time, he broke this trend and innovated by bringing more realistic and personalized pieces.

This was the case of “O Pensador”.

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)

Constantin Brancusi was not only a great Romanian sculptor, but also one of the main names of modern avant-garde currents. For many scholars, he was the pioneer of abstract sculpture.

His artistic production is known for its unique visual elegance and for bringing more rustic elements from his land and combining them with Parisian sophistication and modernity.

From 1913, “The Sleeping Muse” is one of his best-known works, which fetched $57 million at auction in 2017.

Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966)

Another name that could never fail to be mentioned in this selection of famous sculptors and their works is the Swiss Alberto Giacometti.

He became known in the 20th century for producing surrealist paintings and sculptures early in his career, and later gained acclaim for his expressionist pieces.

Obsessed with representing human figures, the plastic artist never bothered to unleash his imagination. Therefore, he created pieces whose shapes and volumes spoke perfectly and stood out for their expressiveness.

One of his most iconic sculptures is “L’ Homme au doigt”, which was auctioned for over $140 million in 2015.

2 Famous Contemporary Sculptors and Their Best Known Arts
Fernando Botero (1932)

Famous not only in Latin America but around the globe, the Colombian Fernando Botero not only developed impressive sculptures and paintings, but also created his own community, called boterismo, which has as its main aspect the figurativism of plump bodies, as is the case of “ Maternity”, created in 1989.
Ron Mueck (1958)

Another fundamental name for the history of contemporary sculpture is the Australian Ron Mueck. Self-taught, the sculptor exudes technique and creativity when creating hyper-realistic pieces.

2 famous Brazilian sculptors and their main works

In this exclusive list, the names of famous Brazilian sculptors could not fail to appear, right? Check out two of them!
Aleijadinho (1730-1814)

Practically a consensus among historians, Antônio Francisco Lisboa, better known as Aleijadinho, was the greatest representative of Latin American Baroque.

With an unmatched talent, he crossed borders, creating sculptures that brilliantly portrayed religious forms and features, as is the case of “Angel as the Passion Chalice”.

Ernesto Neto (1964)

Ernesto Neto is considered one of the main references of national contemporary art. His sculptures even look like living organisms that dance and envelop their viewers like magic, such as his installation “Leviathan Thot”.