Who sculpted the Statue of Liberty?

The Statue of Liberty was sculpted by French artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

Bartholdi designed the colossal neoclassical figure, officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World, as a robed woman holding a torch. The statue was a gift from France to the United States and was dedicated in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886. Its symbolism includes the torch of enlightenment, a tablet inscribed with July 4, 1776, and a broken chain beneath the figure’s left foot.

Bartholdi was the sculptor, but he did not create the entire project alone. Gustave Eiffel and his engineer Maurice Koechlin designed the internal iron framework that supports the copper skin. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc also contributed during the earlier design and construction planning.

The distractors represent other famous artists. Donatello and Michelangelo were Italian Renaissance sculptors, while Auguste Rodin was a later French sculptor known for works such as The Thinker. Bartholdi’s most famous work is closely tied to France’s 19th-century artistic and engineering collaboration with the United States.