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We live in an era of instant gratification and overwhelming convenience. We get bored if a video is longer than 30 seconds, and if we’re hungry, all it takes is a few taps for food to show up at our door, without us even having to get out of bed. In that kind of world, dedicating more than 15 minutes to anything can already feel genuinely impressive.

But real patience is a different kind of commitment, and sculpture demands plenty of it. This art form can take hours, sometimes hundreds, to come up with an idea, source materials, and slowly bring it to life. To celebrate that kind of craft, we’ve rounded up some truly stunning works people shared on the Sculpture subreddit. Scroll down to see them and show them some love.

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#1 I Tried To Capture This Good Girl In Wool

#2 Turkey Vulture Sculpture That I Made With Vintage Typewriters

#3 Stained Glass Horse And Sea Glass Winged Unicorn

The sculptures people have shared on this subreddit are truly beautiful. And what makes them especially fun to look through is the variety: huge abstract forms next to tiny detailed figures, thoughtful works alongside playful, whimsical ones.

It’s honestly kind of amazing. Then again, that range makes sense—sculpture has a long, rich history, so it’s had plenty of time to pick up countless styles and techniques.

#4 Kudu – Tried To Make It Look Like Driftwood But It’s All Clay

#5 Life-Sized Bust Carved In Basswood!

#6 This Is My First-Ever Bronze Sculpture. A Little Coconut Octopus Peeking Out From Its Scavanged Shell. Modelled In Wax And Then Cast Directly

Sculpture is one of humanity’s earliest art forms. Some of the oldest known examples include small carved figures and objects dating back tens of thousands of years. The famous Venus of Willendorf, for instance, was carved around 25,000 years ago.

These early works show that our ancestors were creating three-dimensional art long before written language existed. And once ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece emerged, sculpture became a major way for people to express religious beliefs and honor important figures and traditions.

#7 Hello. Here I Would Like To Show You My Foxes Made From Wool. I Wonder Which One You Like More?

#8 I Made A Custom Wendigo For A Friend

#9 I Needle-Felted This Cat And Tried To Capture His Majestic Indifference

The ancient Greeks took sculpture to new heights during the Classical period between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. They moved away from the rigid, blocky forms borrowed from Egyptian styles and developed a naturalistic approach that emphasized the human figure.

Their work celebrated anatomical accuracy and movement in ways that still influence artists today. The Romans learned a lot from the Greeks and became masters of portraiture, creating incredibly lifelike busts of emperors and public figures.

#10 A Portrait Of My Grandfather

#11 She’s Finished

#12 Resilience, Made From 4 Recycled Skateboard Decks

After centuries of religious focus during the Medieval period, the Renaissance brought sculpture roaring back to life. Artists like Michelangelo and Donatello drew inspiration from classical antiquity but pushed the boundaries even further, and later sculptors like Bernini carried that spirit into the Baroque era.

Michelangelo completed his famous Pietà when he was only 24 years old, and it remains the only work of art he ever signed. People in this period also started putting more value on the individual, which is why so much of the art celebrates personal expression and the beauty of the human form.

#13 I Made A Life Size Horse Out Of Caged Rock!

#14 Trying Something Different By Doing A Relief Sculpture. Nervous For Casting This Guy, But Should Look Cool Framed And Hung On A Wall

#15 Paper Phoenix

Today’s sculptors work with an incredible variety of materials, and each one has its own personality and challenges. Stone is one of the oldest and most enduring choices, valued for how long it lasts.

Marble has been a favorite since ancient Greece because of its fine grain and subtle translucence. It can be carved with delicate detail and polished to a beautiful finish, though it needs careful support because it’s brittle.

Granite and limestone bring different textures and colors to the table, each suited to different artistic visions.

#16 Super Sculpey, Electric Wire, Sewer Pipe Etc Combo

#17 Rhino Inspired By Lace, Made From Clay

#18 Its My First But I Wanna Make More. 350 Hours Of Work, Made Of Brass, Steel, Copper And Glass. Most Parts Are Selfmade. One Regular Leg Is Made Of 30 Parts. Must Be Way Over 600 Parts All Together

Metal sculptures, especially bronze, have a history stretching back thousands of years. Bronze became popular because it’s malleable when molten and can capture intricate details. The metal also develops a beautiful patina over time, which adds character to outdoor pieces.

Modern sculptors have embraced steel and aluminum too, especially for large-scale public installations. These metals make bold, contemporary designs possible that would never work in stone.

#19 Got To Show This Piece In An Art Show In NYC Recently

#20 Wisdom Of The Old Elephant

#21 I Started Daily Sculpting, This Is My Day 3

Clay is probably the most accessible and versatile material for sculptors. It’s been used to model human and animal figures since before people learned to fire pottery.

Artists often use clay for preliminary sketches and models before casting in more permanent materials like bronze or marble. When fired, it becomes terracotta, which can range from smooth to coarse in texture and comes in colors from white to deep red.

#22 Sculpture Made From Aluminum Drink Cans

#23 Trying To Encourage My GF’s Sculpting

#24 Great Dane Bust In Polymer Clay

Wood brings its own warmth and richness to sculpture. It allows for high levels of detail and can take on finishes from smooth and polished to rough and textured. The natural grain adds depth to finished pieces in ways other materials can’t replicate.

Wood is more vulnerable to decay and insect damage than stone or metal though, which is why fewer ancient wooden sculptures have survived. Even so, wood has been central to sculptural traditions in Africa, Asia, and among Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.

#25 Wire+paper

#26 I Sculpted A Western Gorilla! 🦍😀

#27 Amy Brier — Limestone Carvings (Sand-Rubbing Patterns)

Modern sculptors have access to materials their predecessors could never have imagined—concrete, fiberglass, plastics, rubber, neon, you name it. And some of what’s out there is so unusual you probably can’t name it, yet it’s still ending up in someone’s hands as art. At this point, the old boundaries have pretty much dissolved.

What matters now isn’t the material itself, but what the artist can express through it. That freedom, paired with the patience and dedication sculpture demands, makes every piece in this collection worth celebrating.