Distinctive Sculptural Art Work to Spice Up Your Home

Sculptural art work is one of the easier ways to incorporate art in home decor. Instead of accessories, choose small sculptures to grace shelves or a side table.  Or, opt for a large, free-standing sculpture to be the focal point of an entryway or living room. 

 

Sculptural art work is one of the easiest forms of art to incorporate in home decor. Instead of accessories, choose small sculptures to grace shelves or a side table.  Or, opt for a large, free-standing sculpture to be the focal point of an entryway or living room. To make the most of your art investment – and to make the piece look its best – there are a number of considerations in its display.

Location, Location, Location

Much like the real estate market, where you place your sculpture is critical for making it stand out and be best appreciated. Depending on the size and scale of the piece, you may have a number of options. In most cases, eye-level is the best perspective for a sculpture. Certainly, a sculpture can sit independently on a stand, but great display locations are shelves, bookcases, a console table or credenza. For the biggest impact, display sculpture in the entryway so that everyone can see it as soon as they walk in. Wherever you put it, think about the optimum angle for viewing the piece and work around it.

Light it Up

You might be blessed with a well-lit location, such as a living room flooded with natural light but in general, it’s likely you’ll have to consider adding lighting for your sculpture. Experts say that the last thing you want to do is simply put a basic spotlight on the piece. This is because properly displaying sculpture requires subtle, diffused light. More than just putting it on show, the illumination should highlight the three-dimensional nature of the art. When in doubt, consult a lighting expert or the artist.

Put it on a Pedestal

Putting a sculptural work on a pedestal for display is the best way to display it if you want it to get attention. Before purchasing one, it’s critical to consider the size, height and weight of the artwork. The pedestal should be strong enough to support it and large enough for it to be stable. While most pedestals are floor models, there are also shorter ones that can be placed atop a credenza or console to raise up a more modestly sized work in order to highlight it.

Leave it on the Floor

Depending on the room and the arrangement, larger sculptures may be best displayed on the floor. Certainly some can be placed on a shorter pedestal for emphasis, but others might belong directly on the floor, especially if they’re very large or heavy. Just as some décor schemes simply lean framed artwork against the wall, this strategy may work best with a more casual or eclectic interior.

Make it the Focal Point

No matter what style your sculpture is, you bought it because you love it so it really should be the focal point wherever you display it. Obviously a big sculpture will be hard to miss, but even a smaller one deserves to be highlighted in whatever vignette you place it. On a credenza or console, make sure that it isn’t overwhelmed by other items. On a shelf, make sure it has the space it deserves.

Hang it on the Wall

Depending on the type of sculpture, mounting it on the wall may be an option. Some artists create sculptures specifically meant to be displayed on the wall, just as you would a painting. If you have one that could be attached to the wall, that’s an excellent option. If it’s a small work, it may be possible to highlight it by placing it on its own floating shelf.

It’s great fun to look at all the super creative sculptures that artists are creating. Homedit found lot of fun and funky sculptures at Art week in Miami. Here are some of our favorites

Cool Sculptural Art Work Ideas

These blinged-out buddha figures were one of the first things we saw. Created by German-born Metis Atash, they are inspired by love and the people of Bali. As the Aldo Castillo Gallery writes, her works “combine conceptual, minimalist, and pop art traditions.”

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The Mondrian design of the figure’s clothing is fun.
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This polka dot version has more of a pop art feel.

“Data Center” by New Jersey artist Alex Dikowski is a commentary on popular culture and media. His website says that “his mixed media art works often refer to pop and mass culture. By rejecting the widely accepted criteria of progress in a civilized society, his works reference an alternative view of our economic, technological, and social state of affairs.”

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The contents of the bowl are logos of major social media sites.

Athletic, faceless figures climbing up the wall are engaging and interesting. Created by Colombia’s Ancizar Marin, they are made from fiberglass and auto paint. Fascinated by sculpture since his teens, Marin creates all kinds of art work using materials including chrome, bronze, volcano rock, wood, resin and fiberglass.

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The circus-inspired climbers are such fun.

Angela Ellsworth’s Seer Bonnet is part of a series of  pioneer bonnets that are covered in thousands of steel, pearl-tipped corsage pins. The beautifully adorned outside is a contrast to the painful looking interior. The bonnets are meant to represent the 35 wives of Mormon founder Joseph Smith. “Ellsworth re-imagines this community of women with their own visionary and revelatory powers, as they pioneer new personal histories,” write her website.

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The bonnet makes a statement visually and politically.
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A closer look at the dramatically contrasted exterior and interior of the bonnet.

Busts have been a fixture in art collections for centuries, and today’s artists are showing a fresh take on the concept in a variety of ways. Primarily known for his paintings, Willy Ramos also creates Gauguin-esque sculptures such as this one. We are particularly taken by the combination of abstract features with more realistic ones.

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This is a polychrome wood sculpture.

A ceramic bust from the Arte Collective is haunting, thanks to the expressive eye and face. At the same time, this art work is a bit funky thanks to the neck of the bust.

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The crackled surface of the face is unexpected.

A classically shaped bust gets a new spin from neon colors and pop art styling by Greek artist Thanasis Lalas. Lalas is first a writer and publisher, who changed the course of his life, focusing on art and artists, after randomly meeting Andy Warhol.

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The juxtaposition of the classical form and modern painting style is wonderful.

Sculptor Elsa Marina Losada, working under the title Elmar, is a plastic artist, muralist and sculptures. She paints with  different techniques such as oils, acrylic on canvas, and ceramic tiles which she uses to create murals and other pieces. This bright and colorful bust is somewhat cubist and we love it.

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The split personality of the piece is great.

Manolo Valdés works across mediums, producing witty art works that include drawings, paintings, and sculptures. His pieces examine social topics and everyday issues.  This sculptural take on the bust of a woman is quirky and fun.

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Upcycled wood is a tongue-in-cheek choice for a society lady complete with stylish hat.

These tribal-like art works are covered with teal colored beetle wings, threads and fibers. Fiber artist Star Trauth  creates her totems using traditional fiber art materials along with unconventional materials. She begins with the cylindrical canvas,  adding elements that she finds interesting, such as metal, bark, insect parts, and paper.

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Tactile and colorful, the totems are visually engaging.

A fantastic mermaid sculpture by the Athens Gallery is highlighted by neon light and plexiglass. Again, part classic, part modern, this is a sculpture that would dominate a larger space.

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This sculpture is highly creative and fun.

This art work, also from the Athens Gallery is rustic, overall, but features spectacular glass work in the body of the fish. Illuminated from behind, the fish seems to glow.

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Covered with colorful fused glass pieces, this thoughtful mannequin strikes a pose. Blink Art Resources and Banz Studios presented the piece, along with other magnificent glass installation art work.

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The ombre colors of the mannequin highlight the glass piece.

Sculptor Brian Russell draws inspiration from forms and rhythms in nature, ancient artifacts, math, and science. His works are organic, modern and colorful. Originally working as photographer, he became snared of working with his hands. After doing some carving with stone and wood, he moved on to large sculptures made from scrap steel and industrial detritus.

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This was made with Gaffer 45% lead crystal, silicon bronze, lost wax glass casting, and formed and welded bronze.

Artist Daniela Arboleda’s mixed media installation includes this colorful cow. Arboleda is passionate about color and her talents span art, advertising, and writing. the Ecuadorian artist and her husband founded ARTbrand, which is a team of professional communicators and artists producing plastic and digital art work, some of which is used in advertising

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Arboleda is a prolific painter, using mostly inks and watercolors.

Dressmakers’ mannequins have been popular in home decor for some time, but this monochrome work is different. From the texture of the papier-mâché dress on the form to the style of the “garment,” it has a bet of an otherworldly feel.

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The neutral tone adds to the appeal of this art work.

The French-born, Los Angeles artist Thierry Guettaknown as Mr. Brainwash, took up street art after working as videographer and used clothing store. A friend of the well-known but secretive and unidentified Banksy, Mr. Brainwash makes all sorts of creative art work including paintings. It has also been alleged that Guetta’s connection to Banksy is more than casual.

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The Contessa Gallery showed a range of works by Mr. Brainwash.

Vibrantly embellished musical instruments make for a colorful display. The painting turns discarded instruments into  sculptural art works.

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Even non-music lovers can appreciate the creativity in these works.

Called art and not taxidermy, Florida artist Enrique Gomez de Molina creates pieces by sewing together parts of exotic animals, creating new creatures. Although he works to raise awareness of the extinction of exotic creatures, the artist was jailed for 20 months for smuggling endangered wildlife into the United States.

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Is it a bird? A rodent? In the artist’s hands, animal parts become a fantastical creature that defies classification.

These sculptures are created by NONOS, the artistic team of sisters Franziska and Mercedes Welte. The duo creates the figures from metals, polymers, non-fading pigments, epoxy resin and fiberglass.

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The sisters have displayed these art works in galleries around the world.

Art master Harry Bertoia created this culture from melt-coated brass over steel. The artist created variations on this piece in a variety of sizes, from room-size screen installations to smaller tabletop sculptural art works.

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It may be rigid in structure, but the feeling and vision is one of depth and movement.

Trained as an engineer, sculptor Jim Keller turned a lifelong love of wood into a new career as a studio artist. His staten says the he works to “combine the circular form, fair curves and drama with the character and natural beauty of a piece of wood, to create a sculpture highlighting natural edges and negative space to create an individual unique sculpture.”

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This is Keller’s “Opus 9.”

Full body sculptures are a great addition to a space and this one is interesting for its shiny material, monochrome coloring and deflated appearance. It’s such a natural body pose, yet the inordinately long and thin legs and “empty” user body make it a bit Tim Burton-esque.

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A short worse and long limbs lend a cartoonish feel.

Some of us are old enough to remember the wax faux fruit that our grandparents kept as decor but this is oh so much better. Giant, shiny pop-art cherries make for a slick piece of sculptural art work. The collection includes a variety of fruits that are sparkly and spiky.

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These are perfect if you love color!

Brianna Martray is a painter, sculptor and installation artist who loves to paint with her hands. After a long journey through many careers, and a constant flow of paintings, she fortuitously met a sculptor who introduced her to the methods and techniques the she now uses. Martray’s art works feature biomorphic shapes, with which she is fascinated.

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“Reach” is made from resin clay, steel and paint.
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A closer look at the detailing in her fantastical pieces.

Venezuelan artist Gian Pablo Polito Sculco is know for his humorous pieces, like this melting Rubkis Cube. Although his pieces are currently in the Pop Art genre, he does not rule out evolving into other type of work. He write:  “I look for the intimate part of the human being, the childish, those memories of a child that one never sees forgotten, the joys, the toys and the tastes that you treasure for the rest of your life.”

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This is just pure fun
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The same can be said for his splashy pop art popsicles.

Artist Troy Abbott may be best known for his digital birds in cages, but this unusual lion sculptures drew a great deal of attention at the Miami art fairs. Covered in feathers, fur and an alligator hide back, it is a dramatic and intricately constructed art work made from an unexpected collection of materials.

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Looking at this in person leaves you speechless.

From unusual to traditional, to pop art and abstract — there is a style of sculpture that will appeal to almost anyone.  As with other art mediums, find the style and pieces that speak to you and build a collection to enhance your life and your home decor. Whether you can afford to start with well-known artists, or focus on up-and-coming or local artists, try to make sculptural art work a part of your home.