Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

Sculpture is often regarded as a rather serious, even earnest art form. This may be influenced by the hardness and permanence of most materials used in sculpture. And much like early photography, where sitters typically were depicted as rather serious and formal, perhaps the softness that a smile can give is often not part of the brief to the sculptor. So I’d imagined that it would be difficult to find many examples of figurative sculpture and portrait busts showing people smiling, or even having a chuckle. Happily, I was wrong.


Here are examples of broad, happy smiles; from the earliest cheeky faces of gargoyles, to important figures from the past beaming from ear to ear, right through to creative contemporary sculpture.

Artists featured in this Curation: unknown artist, Shenda Amery (b.1937), Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008), Nirava Kavya, David Tinker (1924–2000), Robert Glassby (1835–1892), Bruno Simon (1920–1999), Giacomo Manzù (Manzoni) (1908–1991), Margo Bulman (1913–2003), Andrew Sinclair (b.1961), and 44 more
65 artworks
Head Stop
Image credit: Historic Environment Scotland

Head Stop 14th C

unknown artist

Stone

H 13 x W 12 x D 11 cm

Historic Environment Scotland

Betty Boothroyd (1929–2023), Baroness Boothroyd OM, PC, Hon., FSLL
© the artist. Image credit: Sandwell Museums Service Collection

Betty Boothroyd (1929–2023), Baroness Boothroyd OM, PC, Hon., FSLL 2002

Shenda Amery (b.1937)

Bronze

H 63 x W 45 x D 20 cm

Sandwell Museums Service Collection

James Hunt (1947–1993)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Motor Museum Trust

James Hunt (1947–1993)

Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008)

Metal

H 14 x W 8.5 x D 8.5 cm

National Motor Museum Trust

Head of a Gargoyle*
Image credit: National Museums Scotland

Head of a Gargoyle*

unknown artist

Stone

H 9.5 x W 9 x D 9.5 cm

National Museums Scotland

Alfred Thomas Eggington (b.1888)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Leicestershire County Council Museums Service

Alfred Thomas Eggington (b.1888)

Nirava Kavya

Bronze & wood

H 55 x W 42 x D 28 cm

Leicestershire County Council Museums Service

Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1908–1987), CBE
© Tracy Tinker. Image credit: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1908–1987), CBE 1981

David Tinker (1924–2000)

Plaster

H 18 x W 15 x D 15 cm

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Rt Hon. Clare Short (b.1946), MP
© the artist. Image credit: Keele University Art Collection

Rt Hon. Clare Short (b.1946), MP

Shenda Amery (b.1937)

Bronze

Keele University Art Collection

Primrose
Image credit: Rotherham Heritage Services

Primrose 1874

Robert Glassby (1835–1892)

Terracotta

H 36 x W 26 x D 22 cm

Rotherham Heritage Services

Head of a Small Boy
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

Head of a Small Boy 1946

Bruno Simon (1920–1999)

Bronze

H 22.5 x W 4.4 x D 5.5 cm

Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

Hotei
Image credit: Sandwell Museums Service Collection

Hotei

unknown artist

Wood & lacquer

H 49 x W 22 x D 19 cm

Sandwell Museums Service Collection

Bust of a Woman
© DACS 2023. Image credit: Estorick Collection, London

Bust of a Woman 1952

Giacomo Manzù (Manzoni) (1908–1991)

Bronze

H 60 x W 45 x D 32 cm

Estorick Collection, London

Elsie Widdowson (1906–2000)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: The Royal Society

Elsie Widdowson (1906–2000) 1974

Margo Bulman (1913–2003)

Bronze

H 31.5 x W 16.5 x D 20 cm

The Royal Society

Dr Robert Woof (1931–2005)
© the artist. Image credit: The Wordsworth Trust

Dr Robert Woof (1931–2005) 2006

Andrew Sinclair (b.1961)

Bronze

H 35 x W 26.5 x D 27 cm

The Wordsworth Trust

Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), Holding his Viola
© the artist. Image credit: Royal Academy of Music

Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), Holding his Viola 2006

Ben Dearnley (b.1964)

Bronze

H 63 x W 53.5 x D 40 cm

Royal Academy of Music

Sir Naim Dangoor (1914–2015)
© the artist. Image credit: Royal Society of Medicine

Sir Naim Dangoor (1914–2015) 2017

Nadey Hakim (b.1958)

Bronze

H 47 x W 43 x D 35 cm

Royal Society of Medicine

Niki Lauda (1949–2019)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Motor Museum Trust

Niki Lauda (1949–2019)

Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008)

Metal

H 14 x W 8.5 x D 9 cm

National Motor Museum Trust

Laughing Boy
Image credit: National Museums Scotland

Laughing Boy mid-18th C

Joseph Nollekens (1737–1823) (possibly)

Terracotta

H 34.3 cm

National Museums Scotland

John Keble (1792–1866)
Image credit: Keble College, University of Oxford

John Keble (1792–1866)

George Richmond (1809–1896)

Plaster

H 57.5 x W 28.5 x D 27 cm

Keble College, University of Oxford

Mirth
Image credit: The Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust Collection

Mirth

Joshua Wall (1835–1869) (possibly)

Plaster & granite

The Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust Collection

'Now ... call forth your actors'
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Chelmsford Museums

'Now ... call forth your actors' 1973

Nancy Edwards (b.1926)

Fibreglass

H 134 x W 100 x D 90 cm

Chelmsford Museums

Johnny the Jig
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ards and North Down Borough Council

Johnny the Jig 1952

Sophia Rosamond Praeger (1867–1954)

Plaster

H 105 x W 44 x D 40 cm

Ards and North Down Borough Council

Bust of an Unknown Mayor
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Southend Museums Service

Bust of an Unknown Mayor

George Alfred Holman (1911–1980)

Plaster

H 50.7 x W 46.5 x D 24 cm

Southend Museums Service

Max Miller (1894–1963)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Lawrence Suss / Art UK

Max Miller (1894–1963) 2003–2005

Peter Webster (b.1958)

Bronze & limestone facing over concrete

H 276 x W 60 x D 60 cm

John Bird as a Boy
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Roebuck Collection

John Bird as a Boy c.1925–1935

Cecil Thomas (1885–1976)

Bronze

H 34 x W 19 x D 21 cm

Roebuck Collection

Mischief (L'espiegle)
Image credit: Manchester Art Gallery

Mischief (L'espiegle)

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875)

Bronze

H 51.5 x W 24 x D 26 cm

Manchester Art Gallery

Ray Gravell (1951–2007)
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Ray Gravell (1951–2007) 2010

John Meirion Morris (1936–2020)

Bronze

H 31 x W 21 x D 18 cm

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

Canon Thomas Gisborne (1758–1846)
Image credit: Durham University

Canon Thomas Gisborne (1758–1846) 1840

Charles Raymond Smith (c.1799–1888)

Marble

H 70.5 x W 49.5 x D 27 cm

Durham University

Linda
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Linda 1951

Barbara Tribe (1913–2000)

Terracotta & wood

H 23 x W 16.5 x D 13 cm

Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Alexander I (1777–1825)
Image credit: The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Alexander I (1777–1825)

Enoch Wood (1759–1840)

Biscuitware

H 51 x W 70 x D 26 cm

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Charlotte Gray
Image credit: The Munnings Art Museum

Charlotte Gray c.1908

Edwin Whitney-Smith (1880–1952) (after)

Plaster

H 42 x W 13.5 x D 14 cm

The Munnings Art Museum

Rakan, Han-Taku-Ka Figure
Image credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Rakan, Han-Taku-Ka Figure 1868–1912

unknown artist

Porcelain, paint & gilding

H 22.9 cm

Horniman Museum and Gardens

Seated Children
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Trust Images

Seated Children 1934

Sophia Rosamond Praeger (1867–1954)

National Trust, Gunby Hall

Ian Ricketts
© the artist. Image credit: University of Surrey

Ian Ricketts 2012

Christine Charlesworth (b.1949)

Bronze

H 47 x W 42 x D 25 cm

University of Surrey

Lord Lindsay of Birker (1879–1952)
© The estate of Sir Jacob Epstein / Tate Images. Image credit: Keele University Art Collection

Lord Lindsay of Birker (1879–1952)

Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)

Plaster

H 41 x W 25 x D 25 cm

Keele University Art Collection

Professor C. G. Chesters (1904–1993), Professor of Botany and Head of Department of Botany (1944–1969)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: The University of Nottingham

Professor C. G. Chesters (1904–1993), Professor of Botany and Head of Department of Botany (1944–1969) 1993

Gordon C. Brown

Bronze & marble

H 43 x W 38 x D 19.5 cm

The University of Nottingham

Moyang Pipit, the Sparrow Spirit
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Moyang Pipit, the Sparrow Spirit 1989

Semi bin Awas (active 1987–1989)

Wood

H 30.5 x W 13.5 x D 19.5 cm

Horniman Museum and Gardens

Nubian Man
Image credit: Brighton & Hove Museums

Nubian Man

Ambros Bei (1848–1926)

Plaster

H 65 x W 54 x D 30 cm

Brighton & Hove Museums

Durga
Image credit: Torquay Museum

Durga c.1900

unknown artist

Alabaster

H 35 x W 22 x D 10 cm

Torquay Museum

Marianne (1800–1862), Lady Clifford Constable
Image credit: Burton Constable Hall

Marianne (1800–1862), Lady Clifford Constable 1830s

Lorenzo Bartolini (1777–1850)

Marble

H 79 x W 49 x D 29 cm

Burton Constable Hall

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) as a Corbel
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Amgueddfa Lloyd George Museum

David Lloyd George (1863–1945) as a Corbel 1920

William Alex Culliford

Wood

H 38 x W 19.9 x D 18.2 cm

Amgueddfa Lloyd George Museum

The April Fool
© the artist's estate. Image credit: Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London

The April Fool 1978

Anthony Earnshaw (1924–2001)

Plastic & wood

H 50.5 x W 34 x D 14.3 cm

Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre

Second Portrait of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
© The estate of Sir Jacob Epstein / Tate Images. Image credit: Bolton Library & Museum Services, Bolton Council

Second Portrait of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) 1934

Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)

Cast bronze

H 40.5 x W 22.5 x D 28 cm

Bolton Library & Museum Services, Bolton Council

Lydia Laughing
© The estate of Sir Jacob Epstein / Tate Images. Image credit: University of Aberdeen

Lydia Laughing 1960

Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)

Bronze

H 41 x W 24 x D 27 cm

University of Aberdeen

The Doctor Laughs
Image credit: Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum

The Doctor Laughs 1880–1900

Percy Fitzgerald (1834–1925) (attributed to)

Plaster

H 28 x W 17.5 x D 12.5 cm

Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum

Donald Campbell (1921–1967), World Land and Water Speed Record Holder
© the copyright holder. Image credit: The Ruskin Museum

Donald Campbell (1921–1967), World Land and Water Speed Record Holder 1964

Christian Forward (active 1964)

Clay

H 30 x W 17 x D 13 cm

The Ruskin Museum

Bust of Boy
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Wigan Arts and Heritage Service

Bust of Boy

John Griffiths

Wood

H 26.5 x W 29.5 cm

Wigan Arts and Heritage Service

Tragi-Comic
© Essex Collection of Art from Latin America. Image credit: Essex Collection of Art from Latin America

Tragi-Comic 2002

Patricio Grose Forrester (b.1967)

Oil on raquet cover

H 80.5 x W 26.5 x D 3 cm

Essex Collection of Art from Latin America

Mr Nadhmi Auchi (b.1937), Philanthropist
© the artist. Image credit: Royal Society of Medicine

Mr Nadhmi Auchi (b.1937), Philanthropist 2005

Nadey Hakim (b.1958)

Bronze

H 57 x W 46 x D 26 cm

Royal Society of Medicine

Lewis Falk (d.1954), President of the Letchworth Arts Society, Owner of the Garden City Embroidery Works, Chairman of 'The Settlement'
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Garden City Collection
Head of a Girl
© the copyright holders. Image credit: Chelmsford Museums

Head of a Girl

Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones (1908–1968) and Gwynneth Holt (1909–1995)

Plaster

H 16 x W 10 x D 16 cm

Chelmsford Museums

Voltaire (1694–1778)
Image credit: Taylor Institution, University of Oxford

Voltaire (1694–1778) 18th C

Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828)

Marble

H 48 x W 21 x D 17 cm

Taylor Institution, University of Oxford

Chin Fan
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Williamson Art Gallery & Museum

Chin Fan

Jean Illich (active 1924 or before)

Bronze

H 43 x W 23 x D 11 cm

Williamson Art Gallery & Museum

Quanto ti vo bene (Italian Shepherd Boy)
Image credit: Brighton & Hove Museums

Quanto ti vo bene (Italian Shepherd Boy) 1889

Cesare Lapini (b.1848)

Alabaster

H 83 x W 29 x D 49 cm

Brighton & Hove Museums

Robot Family
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Simon Maddison / Art UK

Robot Family c.1975

Simon Axford Jones (active c.1975)

Concrete

Man and Woman
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Emery Walker's House

Man and Woman

A. Kaven

Wood

H 19.2 x W 10.6 x D 5.5 cm

Emery Walker's House

'Oor Wullie': Verdant Works Statue
© the artist. Image credit: Dundee Heritage Trust

'Oor Wullie': Verdant Works Statue 2016

Pam Kelly (b.1964)

Resin & paint

H 16.8 x W 21.5 x D 12.3 cm

Dundee Heritage Trust

Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood (1881–1943)
© National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood (1881–1943) 1982

Peter Lambda (1911–1995)

Bronze

H 25.4 cm

National Portrait Gallery, London

Head of a Smiling Girl
Image credit: Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

Head of a Smiling Girl

William Reynolds-Stephens (1862–1943)

Plaster

H 21.5 x W 11 x D 12.5 cm

Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

Diddlin’ Davie
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Glenesk Folk Museum

Diddlin’ Davie

Ernest J. Lang

Plaster

H 40 x W 34 x D 30 cm

Glenesk Folk Museum

Sculpted Pole
© the copyright holders. Image credit: Cliff Palmer/Art UK

Sculpted Pole

Tom Leach (1973–2009) and John Marder

Wood

H 560 x W 45 x D 45 cm

Clementine, the Living Fashion Doll
© the artist. Image credit: Bruce Castle Museum (Haringey Archive and Museum Service)

Clementine, the Living Fashion Doll 2014

Mark Mander (b.1980)

Wood, paint, textiles & feathers

H 51 x W 40 x D 3.5 cm

Bruce Castle Museum (Haringey Archive and Museum Service)

Graham Hill (1929–1975)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Motor Museum Trust

Graham Hill (1929–1975)

unknown artist

Bronze

H 30 x W 20 x D 21 cm

National Motor Museum Trust

Carved Male Head
Image credit: American Museum & Gardens

Carved Male Head mid-19th C

unknown artist

Wood

H 46 x W 20.7 x D 26 cm

American Museum & Gardens

Helen Bradley (1900–1979)
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Gallery Oldham

Helen Bradley (1900–1979)

unknown artist

Bronze & wood

H 20 x W 19 x D 20 cm

Gallery Oldham

Michael Little
© the artist. Image credit: The Beacon Museum

Michael Little 2009

Paul Bainbridge (b.1943)

Bronze & sandstone

H 44 x W 24 x D 33 cm

The Beacon Museum