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Top 20 sculptures to see in Paris

Updated by Vanessa M. in September 2023.

Home to the most visited museum of the world (the Louvre), Paris is obviously known for the plethora of famous artworks that you can discover in and out of its museums.

As an art buff myself, I have tried in this article to list my favorite sculptures in Paris, both in and out of the museums. Indeed, the museums of Paris are not the only places where you can admire sculptures! The city in itself has more than 1000 statues on its different streets, so next time you are walking through the streets, keep your eyes open!

Also, there is one thing you should know if you are curious about all things French and Parisian: some locals are giving free tours to help you experience the French capital like a true Parisian. If you are willing to explore the hidden gems in each of Paris鈥� iconic neighborhoods and truly feel the city like a local, click here to book yours!

So, without further ado, let鈥檚 dive into my list of the top 20 sculptures to see in Paris.

1. Homme qui marche III (Man Walking III) 鈥� Alberto Giacometti

L’Homme qui marche III – Giacometti. Source: Fondation Giacometti website

Alberto Giacometti is one of my favorite sculptors. He has a very particular style, known for his tall, thin and uneven representations of men walking.

Paris is lucky enough to be home to the Institut Giacometti, which exhibits the original Homme qui marche III (man walking III). The institute is located at 5 Rue Victor Schoelcher, 75014 Paris. It opens every day from 10amp to 6pm, and be careful : it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Giacometti also created two others statues entitled Man Walking. One of them, Man Walking I, is the most expensive statue in the world to have ever been sold at an auction, at the price of 141,28 million dollars (126,83 million euros).

2. The Thinker (Le Penseur) – Auguste Rodin

The Thinker by Rodin – source : Pixabay.com CC0

Auguste Rodin famously made more than 20 drafts of the sculpture (which are often hard to tell from the original), and these drafts are now disseminated all around the world. You can find them in museum Ca Pesaro in Venice, in the Laeken cemetery in Brussels, at the entry of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, in the museum Brennand in Brasil, and also in Meudon (a city in the outskirts of Paris), in the villa des Brillants on Auguste Rodin鈥檚 own grave.

Rodin is also famous for his tumultuous relationship with his student Camille Claudel. Camille Claudel鈥檚 passion with Auguste Rodin has been at the center of a widespread fascination in the art world and beyond. It gave birth to several fims (including one starring French actress Isabelle Adjani) and plays. Camille Claudel is known for being a sculptor herself, and the sister of famous French writer and poet Paul Claudel. She was perfectionist sculptor who had developed an obsession with her art.

One of the most interesting things about Rodin鈥檚 Thinker is that it portrayed Thought for the first time in human form in art. Indeed, before the Thinker, Thought and Wisdom were usually portrayed by the greek goddess Athena. This representation of Athena as Wisdom had been reproduced countless times in western art.

Auguste Rodin introduced with The Thinker the idea of Thought being portrayed by a human, a man seeming to face a dilemma but still in a position of power, highlighted by his muscular and strong body, at rest but ready to get up. This binarity is at the heart of what makes the Thinker a masterpiece: an introverted man deep into his thoughts, but with a strong insistence on his robust body ready to get up and act.

The museum is located at 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris. I would advise you to visit it in the weekdays rather than the weekends since it can get quite crowded; also it is one of my favorite Paris museums, so apart from the Thinker, there is plenty to see!

Many Rodin sculptures are exhibited all over the streets of Paris, so always look out for them when you are walking the streets of the capital. His sculptures are famously naked bodies, often men; Rodin famously declared 芦 I have an infinite admiration for the naked body ; I almost worship it 禄.

You can check out my article about the top 5 interesting facts about the Thinker if you are willing to learn more about this famous statue.

3. Le Centaure Nessus enlevant D茅janire – Laurent-Honor茅 Marqueste, 1892

Le Centaure Nessus enlevant D茅janire – Laurent-Honor茅 Marqueste, 1892. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

As I told you, in Paris, not all art is displayed in museum ! This famous statue is displayed at the Jardin des Tuileries in the 1^st arrondissement of Paris.

4. La Victoire de Samothrace (Winged Victory of Samothrace)

Sculpture of Samothrace in the Louvre, image sourced from Pixabay

This sculpture is definitely one of my favorite artworks displayed in Paris. I think that I adore it as an artwork, but I have always been in awe with the marvelous job that the Louvre has done to offer the statue an adequate frame of exhibition. They chose to display The Winged Victory of Samothrace on its own, at the top of the main stairs of the Louvre.

While passing through the main stairs on your way to the Mona Lisa, you cannot miss it if you look up. I can guarantee that if you pay enough attention, you will definitely be amazed.

This magnificent statue measures 2,75 meters (the entire monument measures more than 5 meters!). The sculpture represents the goddess Nike. Nike was the goddess of Victory in ancient Greece, whose name inspired the ubiquitous sneaker brand and its infamous 鈥淛ust do it鈥� motto. The original statue鈥檚 base was kept as it is : the goddess is standing on a boat.

The anonymous statue was actually discovered in several broken pieces in the 19^th century on the Greek Island Samothrace by Charles Champoiseau, who initially understood the value of the statue and sent it to the Louvre. The statue took a year to travel from Samothrace to Paris. The Louvre quickly realized the unmeasurable value of the statue, and sent back orders to Champoiseau encouraging him to look for other pieces.

The statue was brought back piece after piece during the following century; however her head was never found.

If you are willing to discover more of the history of this masterpiece of the Hellenistic era, check out our Top 5 interesting facts about the Winged Victory of Samothrace

6. Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss — Canova

Canova’s sculpture at the Louvre – Source: Wikimedia Commons

If you ask Parisians what their favorite statue in the capital is, chances are a lot of them will answer with Canova鈥檚! This one is also definitely amongst my personal favorites. I used to spend hours hanging out near the statue as a teenager, trying to catch a glimpse of the countless art students sitting on the floor and drawing the sculpture all day long.

The statue was painted at the end of the 18^th century and is considered one of the masterpieces of the neoclassical movment.

It features greek god Eros having just awakened Psyche by kissing her. If you get to visit the statue, I beg you to turn around it all around. Canova was at his time considered a mastermind and this statue is full of details that can only be fully appreciated if you take the time to turn around it.

7. Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milo by Jastrow – WikiCommons

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The Venus de Milo might probably be one of the most famous sculptures in the Western world. Scholars are unsure of who made it; they hesitate between Praxit猫le and Antiochus.

The sculpture鈥檚 arms are for an unknown reason missing. This contributes to the statue鈥檚 aura of mystery, and its very particular appearance that has nowadays almost become a staple of pop culture.

Venus de Milo depicts Latin goddess Venus (Aphrodite in Greek). It is named after the Milo island on which it was discovered by a Greek peasant.

The fame of this sculpture is actually a direct effect of a massive propaganda by the French authorities, after France was forced to return the Venus de Medici to Italy. Venus de Medici was at the time known to be one of the finest existing sculptures of Venus. To make up for the loss, France decided to over promote another Venus statue that they had kept.

A fun fact that always amuses me: the statue was featured on the seal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) for some time.

If you are curious about the Venus de Milo, you can check out The best way to see The Venus de Milo at the Louvre Museum, and also our Top 6 interesting facts about the Venus de Milo.

8. The Man Mummy

Mummy of a man by Zubro. Sourced from Wikipedia

This one is not exactly a statue, but I thought to include it because of the striking effect it produces on me every time I pass by its room at the Louvre. This mummified man from the 3rd or 2cd century before Christ could be considered some sort of real life statue, made artwork by the passing of time.

Check out our 10 Best Egyptian Antiquities to See in the Louvre if you are interested in the monumental Egyptian section of the museum.

9. Sainte Marie Madeleine 鈥� Gregor Erhart

Marie Madeleine at the Louvre – source: wikipedia

Attributed to Gregor Erhart (1470-1540), the painting was bought by the Louvre at the beginning of the 20^th century. It is the only wooden sculptured featured on this list.

The painting depicts Saint Marie Magdalene, who is probably the Christian saint who has fascinated the most scholars and writers or all sorts. Marie Magdalene was a former sinner who decided to become one of Jesus鈥� followers. She represents one of the feminine figures in Christian imagery and representations, and she is mentionned 12 times by name in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles. This makes her one of the most mentionned figures in the canonical gospels. She is known to have been the first to see Jesus after his resurrection, and is thus a priviledged witness of the miracle. When she saw Jesus, she reached out to touch him, and he asked her not to. From there stems the famous latin phrase 鈥渘oli me tangere鈥� (do not touch me), that has become the name given to any painting or sculpture that represents Marie Madeleine on the floor trying to reach out and touch Jesus.

In some stories and myths, it is said that after her encounter with Jesus she was so touched that she decided to live in a cave dressed only by her long hair.

The statue depicts her naked, only draped in her famous hair. This sculpture is said to have mesmerized thousands of admirers, so much than during the nazi occupation of France, nazi military leader Hermann Goering asked that she would be brought to him from the Louvre. The statue travelled all the way to Germany, and was restituted to the museum after the end of the war.

10. Fontaine Fellah – Jean Fran莽ois Gechter, 1844

Fontaine du Fellah in the 7th arrondissement. It is believed to represent Antinous, the lover of Roman emperor Hadrien – Source: wikimedia commons

Another artwork that cannot be seen at a museum, because it is exhibited on top of the Fontaine Fellah, in the 7th arrondissement. You can find the fountain at 24, rue de S猫vres, 75007 Paris.

It is a good example of neo-egyptian style, which increasingly developped in France after Napol茅on’s battles in Egypt. The statue is believed to represent Antinous, lover of Roman emperor Hadrien. French author Marguerite Yourcenar wrote a beautiful novel based around their relationship: M茅moires d’Hadrien.

11. Milo Of Croton

Puget discovered two slabs of marble abandoned in the dockyards of Toulon in 1670, and after some difficulty, he obtained permission from Colbert to use them for statues. He carved the Milo of Crotona and the relief of Alexander and Diogenes from them. Puget’s most notable work is perhaps The Milo.

It has the emotional intensity that was already evident in the doors of the H么tel de Ville in Toulon and St. Sebastian, but it also has a concentration and mathematical regularity that is almost classical. Milo Puget created an authentically French Baroque in the Milo Puget.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The statue is Baroque in its movement violence, the abrupt twist of the arm and head, and the naturalism of the tree trunk, indicating that the creator must have recognized Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne.

However, the movement is so precise that, when viewed from the front, the entire statue makes a simple silhouette formed of two sets of parallel axes: the legs and left arm constitute one set, and the torso, draperies, and tree trunk form the other. The head and mask are modeled on the Laocoon and exhibit the restraint seen even in the most Baroque of ancient tribes.

Click here for 10 amazing artworks to see at the Louvre

12. The Four Parts of the World Holding the Celestial Sphere

In 1867, Baron Haussmann, the prefect of Paris who gave the city its current appearance, commissioned Carpeaux to create a fountain for the Luxembourg Gardens. The four parts of the world turning around the heavenly sphere were chosen as the motif by the sculptor. The four allegories are not only dancing in a ring, but they are also rotating on the spot.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Europe barely touches the ground, Asia is practically seen from behind with her long ponytail, Africa is in a three-quarter view, and America, wearing a feather headdress, is facing the audience but her body is twisted to the side. Carpeaux’s painting is distinguished by his love of movement. His ardent personality was the polar opposite of Neoclassical tranquility. The bronze fountain was not installed on the planned spot until 1874, a year before Carpeaux died.

13. The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years

When Edgar Degas displayed his Little Dancer sculpture at the Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1881, he caused quite a stir. His goal was to represent a young girl who aspired to an “illustrious life” in ballet but also maintained “her identity as a girl from the streets of Paris.”

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The public, accustomed to marble statues of idealized ladies, was shocked by Degas’s depiction of such a common subject鈥攁 young dancer plucked from regular life and whose attitude indicated nothing goddess-like or heroic. He had also depicted her in beeswax and found things, rather than chiseling her nobly in marble.

In the face of widespread public outrage, Degas pulled the artwork from display and locked it in a closet for the next four decades, until financier Paul Mellon purchased the original wax sculpture in 1956 and donated it to the National Gallery of Art in 1985.

14. Sleeping Hermaphrodite

The marble Hermaphrodite, sleeping on her side with arms above her head, was discovered near the Diocletian Baths in Rome around 1608. It was thought to be a Roman replica of a bronze original by Polycles from the mid-second century BC.

, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

It was given to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who commissioned Bernini to refurbish it and create the marble mattress for it. It quickly became one of the most admired statues in the Borghese Collection, and it was frequently replicated in bronze and, on a smaller scale, in marble.

Napoleon purchased the majority of the Borghese Collection in 1807, and it is now housed at the Louvre. The second Earl of Egremont purchased this substantially smaller version, which lacked a penis, in 1754.

15. The Stravinsky Fountain

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The Igor Stravinsky fountain, designed by artists Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle and located near to the Pompidou Centre, was dedicated in 1983. It’s an eye-catching piece, and its 16 colorful sculptures spewing water jets are meant to evoke the work of the great Russian musician. The Stravinsky Fountain is surrounded by a few restaurants, the IRCAM Center for Contemporary Music, and the Saint-Merri Church on a pedestrian-only square. It’s a nice and popular location to walk about or rest and relax.

16. The Burghers of Calais

Rodin’s most well-known public monument is The Burghers of Calais. The monument honors the bravery of six prominent residents (burghers) of the French city of Calais. They sacrificed their lives to the English king in exchange for the lifting of his siege of the city in the fourteenth century, at the start of the Hundred Years’ War.

Rodin questioned modern heroic standards and made a historical event feel immediate and real by depicting their anguish and haunted courage in the face of death. The Burghers of Calais, a full-scale bronze, is on display in the Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court (Gallery 548).

17. The Three Graces

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The Three Graces, regarded widely as a masterpiece of neoclassical European sculpture, was carved in Rome between 1814 and 1817 for an English collector by Antonio Canova. This group of three legendary sisters was actually a second rendition of an original, commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife, Jos茅phine de Beauharnais. The Three Graces represent the three daughters of Zeus, each of whom is described as having the ability to bestow a certain gift on humanity Euphrosyne (mirth), Aglaia (elegance), and Thalia (youth and beauty).

18. Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc)

Few figures in history have as many equestrian statues as Jeanne d’Arc. There are 37 in all, with 28 in France and 9 in foreign countries. 15 of these are originals (14 in France and 1 outside France), while the remaining 22 are reproductions. There are several reasons why there are so many Jeanne d’Arc statues.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

For starters, she is regarded as France’s liberator and hence a national hero. Second, she is one of France’s patron saints. Third, because she is one of the patron saints of soldiers, she is frequently shown on war memorials. Finally, her little life story is incredibly encouraging for artists.

19. Marcellus Divinized Into Mercury Psychopomp

The sculpture of Marcellus demonstrates that the Romans possessed dozens of artists comparable to Michelangelo. What makes it so fantastic? His physical anatomy is incredibly realistic. His shoulders and muscles are mushy, and his face appears sorrowful. He’s convincing, which is quite tough to create with a block of marble.

Here are 15 Amazing Artworks You Need to See at The Mus茅e d鈥橭rsay

20. Balzac by Auguste Rodin

Rodin’s sculpture of Balzac arguably one of the most important and influential sculptures in contemporary art history went beyond simply artistic representation. It is in fact a physiological portrayal of the author intended to encapsulate and illustrate to the audience his core self.

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum in Antwerp, The Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Mus茅e Rodin in Meudon, the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Hirschhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford all have replicas of the work.

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There you have them, my top 20 sculptures to see in Paris! A number of them are displayed at the Louvre, so if you want to learn more about their history, where to find them and how to curate your perfect visit to the Louvre in order not to miss anything, check out my top 10 amazing artworks to see at the Louvre.