Our cities are full of majestic monuments, stunning sculptures and artistic statues, each having a story to tell. Thousands of them have been made, but only a few of them are extraordinary and picture-worthy.
Join the fun looking through these photos of the top 15 most incredible statues and sculptures found throughout the world.
The Mustangs of Las Colinas, Texas, USA
The Mustangs of Las Colinas, a breathtakingly realistic sculpture of nine bronze mustangs galloping across a granite prairie stream, is the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. Created by Robert Glen, this magnificent art piece was installed in 1984 as the centerpiece of Williams Square Plaza in the Las Colinas Urban Center.
Since its installation, this outstanding sculpture has become a North Texas top attraction pulling in visitors and residents alike.
Monument to a woman’s handbag, Italy
This somewhat odd, but vaguely amusing sculpture was first presented in Italy at an exhibition titled “Thoughts. Space. A dialogue between nature and imagination.”
Expansion, New York, USA
As light creeps out of the cracks of this statue’s body, a world of messages is portrayed by artist Paige Bradley. All of the pieces are cast in bronze and made to float separately from one another.
Expansion is a sculpture bringing together the liberate and contained, meant to intrigue and provoke.
Knotted gun sculpture, New York, USA
You may interpret this bold statue as advocating for Non-Violence in some ways. The knot at the end of the gun screams with symbolism that is very touching, especially today as gun laws are highly scrutinized. The sculpture has been the symbol since 1993 of The Non-Violence Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes social change through violence-prevention education programs.
There are currently 16 copies of the sculpture around the world, ten of them in Sweden.
Les Voyageurs, Marseilles, France
French artist Bruno Catalano has created an extraordinary series of eye-catching bronze sculptures called “Les Voyageurs” in Marseilles that depict realistic human workers with large parts of their bodies missing.
They are skillful works of art even without the omissions, but the missing parts of the sculptures make them truly extraordinary and unique.
The Unknown Official, Reykjavik, Iceland
The ’Unknown Bureaucrat’ was created in 1994 by Iceland artist and sculptor Magnus Tomasson. It’s probably the most noticeable, and certainly the most amusing and expressive sculpture in the city, which is notable or the many little intriguing details that can be picked out.
Headington Shark, Oxford, Britain
If houses were built out in the middle of the ocean, perhaps some high-flying sharks would crash into roofs here and there. Or, you could just move to Oxford, the UK where local radio presenter, Bill Heine, has lived with a giant shark crashing into the top of his roof since 1986.
Kelpies, Grangemouth, UK
These gorgeous horse heads take center stage, representing the wonderful world of equine history. Built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding, The Kelpies are 30 meters high and weigh 300 tons each. The sculptures were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013.
Memorial to Nelson Mandela, South Africa
Nelson Mandela is a well-known figure who adored through the statues that exist of him. According to statements by the South African government the statues represent more than just a man, but the noblest man in history.
Nelson Mandela’s profile is formed from 50 steel columns. His likeness can be seen only if you stand at a certain angle to the columns; otherwise, they seem to be just a clump of poles.
Force of Nature
This is the title of a series of sculptures created by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn, in which women are depicted holding the Earth in a length of cloth. The statues have been placed in many cities around the world, including in the UK, USA, Monaco, and Singapore.
The Monument Of An Anonymous Passerby, Wroclaw, Poland
This statue signifies all of the souls lost, imprisoned, or otherwise harmed by the oppressive Communist regime that existed in Poland for many years.
The monument is located in the busy section of Wroclaw – the crossroads of Piłsudskiego and Świdnicka streets next to Arkady. Wroclaw honored in such a way the anonymous passerby who fell under the ground. People who were living at the time of martial law, know that it is real.
People Of The River, Singapore
Known as one of the most creative statues in the world, this sculpture, literally looks as if children are jumping into the river. Chong Fah Cheong says of his work, “My involvement in creative work pursuits, in particular, sculpture, is a state of mind. It is consciousness, an acute awareness of my existence, made up of limitless variables and possibilities.”
Bureaucratic Themis, Denmar
This sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiot depicts the goddess of justice as an overweight woman, who sits on the shoulders of a thin, emaciated man. The two figures represent the industrial world and Africa, respectively.
Man Hanging Out, Prague, Czech Republic
At first glance, you might scream—“Someone help that man up there!” No need to panic, this statue is permanently hanging out above the streets, gripping tightly to what appears to be a protruding pipe.
This is such a beautiful sculpture that anyone going to Prague simply has to take the time to go and see it.
Mihai Eminescu, Onesti, Romania
There are several ways to make a sculpture, and that becomes very clear when we see what’s done in the Monument to Mihai Eminescu, in Onesti, Romania. Eminescu was a Romanian poet, and this piece can only be seen from a certain angle, which is made up of the various parts spread through the branches of the trees.
At certain times of the day, this statue looks like it has been painted up against the clouds.
Sinking Building Outside State Library, Melbourne, Australia
In front of the Melbourne State Library, you can find this very unusual sculpture that depicts a library being “swallowed” by the ground, or sinking. The piece was commissioned by the City Hall of Melbourne as part of a program that focused on stimulating the appreciation of art.