Throughout the years, sculptures have been providing a very unique type of art. In the old days, some took their chisels and etched out a place in history using slabs of marble, limestone, granite and other large rocks. Metals eventually started taking their place, and bronze is one of the more popular metals used today.

One of the most widely recognized sculptors of this era is Richard MacDonald. Richard specializes in bronze sculptures, ranging in size and style, and his work is consistently flawless in terms of minor details and overall craftsmanship. One of MacDonald’s most impressive pieces, technically a series of sculptures, is The Gymnast.

MacDonald was always considered a talented American artist, but he never really broke out in the mainstream until the mid 1990s. When the Olympic Games were coming to Atlanta, Georgia in 1996, MacDonald was tasked with creating a sculpture for Centennial Park. He sculpted “Flair Across America,” a 26-foot tall bronze statue of an athlete.

As Richard puts it, the “flair” celebrates the grit and determination of an athlete as he or she strives toward greatness. It wasn’t an easy task to create this large sculpture. MacDonald modeled Flair after one of America’s most impressive athletes at the time, Kurt Thomas. The move Thomas is depicted attempting is called the “flair.”

After the success of this sculpture, MacDonald was instantly a world renowned artist. He started scaling the sculpture down, and even changing it slightly in some instances, and selling it at different locations across the world and eventually online.

One of the best-selling MacDonald pieces now is titled The Gymnast, a scaled down version of Flair, and features a ¼ life-size bronze model placed on a black marble base. The head and torso of the sculpture are present, with the statue being cut off at the arms and waist. It looks like an old Roman sculpture or something from that era. Other models are also available.

The detail work of all Gymnast sculptures is impressive. MacDonald painstakingly creates the molds and then fills them with high-grade bronze before finalizing the detail and polishing the piece. By the time it’s over, he has created a small replica of the famous statue in Atlanta.

The Gymnast is a sculpture that makes for the ultimate gift. Shoes, clothes, even sports cars – it’s all been done before. Giving someone a classic work of art, however, is a unique gesture that will never fail to thrill anyone who receives it.

These sculptures are completed by an artist who has been working with the human form for decades. MacDonald once worked with the NBA and NFL, illustrating athletes. He has a keen knowledge of the form and translates it beautifully into each piece of art.

A sculpture like this isn’t going to be cheap, even if you’re buying a smaller version. Most are available via auctions, but you can always find one floating around the web for a fair price.