The most impacting sculptures in the world
Forged in stone, metal and wood, our cities are full of impressive sculptures.
Sculptures are a majestic plot of art and represent our artistic nature. Each one tells a special story about our existence. A sculptures purpose is not only to entertain the spectators, but also the need for an artist to express their inner desires while experimenting with different shapes and materials.
Sculpting has been a powerful form of art for a long time. From the classics of the Renaissance period that highlighted ideal beauty to the modern works that go beyond the limits of materials and means, sculptures evoke beauty and wonder.
Over time, as travelling around the world has become easier and safer, works of art have become tourist attractions. From the bustling streets of New York City and Chicago to the quietest corners of the world in South Africa, the Czech Republic or Chile, we examine the most fascinating and impressive sculptures in the world. Each one responds to a cultural curiosity, a question that was asked by a group or a person and answered by the artists.
Sculptures are often an unappreciated art form. Whilst some people simply assume that most represent a lot of rocks moulded together, true art fans know how complex they can actually be. It takes great creativity and skill to create these fabulous models from raw materials.
Most of the time, these sculptures represent a great historical significance. Whether good or bad, the place, the artist and the work itself tell a unique and interesting story.
The sculptures you’re about to see are absolutely fantastic. They are not ordinary or commemorative statues that you often see in historic places. Scroll down to see these epic, incredible and exquisite sculptures found all over the world-sometimes in unusual corners-that demonstrate the creative capacity of the human brain.
It is a parody of the statue of Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of the country on horseback in Wenceslas Square. The statue attracts a lot of attention because the protagonist, Saint Wenceslas, is on the horse backwards. This is what characterizes this sculpture, David Černý, whose works are always controversial.
The artist comments on her work: "From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built to fit in it: a social security number, a gender, a race, a profession or an intellectual quotient. I think we’re more defined by the container we’re in, rather than what we’re in. Would we recognize each other if we could expand beyond our bodies? Would we still be able to exist if we were genuinely unchecked?".
In the middle of Lake Leman, in the city of Vevey, in Switzerland, we can find the largest fork in the world. The sculpture, made of stainless steel, is about 8 metres high and weighs about 450 kilos. Its creation is due to the tenth anniversary (in 1995) of Alimentarium, a museum dedicated to food. He has held the record at Guinness World Records since 2014 as the highest fork in the world, surpassing the record held until then by the city of Tsubame in Japan, with the fork being 2.15 meters high.
Much of Louise Bourgeois’s work (1911 - 2010) is meant to show the concepts of jealousy, anger, fear and her own painful childhood in public view. Her sculpture, Mama, is no exception. Located in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao for a while, this 9-metre-high structure shows, in Bourgeois’s eyes, the strength and fragility associated with motherhood. The terrifying spider is powerful and tall, as it swings over the thinnest legs and, therefore, extremely vulnerable. Since 2018, it is located in the Long Museum of China.
Created by internationally renowned sculptor of the Czech Republic, David Černý, Metalmorphosis is a unique work that explores the limits of the media. Already known for his monumental sculptures, Černý created an engineering marvel in this work. Using nearly 40 pieces of steel grouped into seven segments, the piece rotates, throwing water, until the segments line up to form a giant head. The piece is constantly changing. It was in Charlotte, North Carolina, however, since 2017 an industrial pole and a construction tape remain in the place where the sculpture was. So in this case, we’ll save you the trip.
This sculpture is located in the Piazza Affari in Milan, next to the Stock Exchange which was built on the Roman theatre. If Wall Street in New York City has a bull, the Milan stock exchange is more provocative: what at first sight seems to be a vulgar gesture has more to it than it seems. The name of the statue is an acronym of libertà, odio, vendetta, eternità (freedom, hatred, revenge, eternity). The artist Maurizio Cattelan described a closer look: all other fingers have been cut. The hand was in the form of a Nazi salute and the remaining middle finger is destined to be an attack on fascism, the era from which the square’s architecture comes. Cattelan created the statue in 2010, and donated it to the city. To note: it is 11 metres high.
This beautiful fairy and dandelion flower are made entirely of stainless steel wire, which makes it even more incredible that they all look like dancing to the wind. As if the sculpture were not magical enough, Wight buries a "heart" of stone in each of the fairies he makes, sometimes engraved with messages.
This impressive sculpture representing a hand coming out of the earth is located in the Atacama Desert, 75 kilometres from Antofagasta and 1,100 meters above sea level. Like the sculpture L.O.V.E., it measures 11 meters in height and is built with reinforced concrete. There is no tacit meaning for the work. Its author Mario Irarrázabal lets everyone freely interpret his sculpture.
Created in 1980 by Swedish sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd, No Violence is a bronze sculpture of a large revolver Colt Python Magnum 0.357. It was made after the murder of John Lennon. There are 17 copies of the sculpture in the world, and ten of them are in Sweden. It has become a symbol of the No violence Project that promotes social change. It was given by the Government of Luxembourg to the United Nations in 1988.
In Bondi in Sydney, Australia this infinite stairway to heaven certainly seems to lead us there, but only from certain angles! In fact, the sculpture is 12 meters long and reaches heights of "only" 3.8 metres. Impressive!
This impressive sculpture half man, half mountain, was created in 1579 by the Italian sculptor Giambologna. It is no more and no less than 10 metres high and is the personification of the Apennine mountain range. The statue also hides a special secret: there are rooms and caves built inside it!
Shoes on the Danube bank is a memorial located in Budapest (Hungary). It was created by sculptor Gyula Pauer and film director Can Togay. It honors the Jews who were killed by the Arrow Cross fascist militia in Budapest during World War II. These people were asked to take off their shoes before they were shot and thrown into the river. The shoes represent all those people who were lost in the tragic incident.
