Post-war sculpture is divided into two aspects. The first involves liberation from new materials, exemplified by American sculptor David Smith, who used steel welding for abstract constructions, becoming a paradigm of twentieth-century modern sculpture. The second focuses on developing traditional materials, with Giacometti and Henry Moore standing out.

The British intellectual sculptor Henry Moore created condensed natural forms; his solid, compact Reclining Figure (1951) moves toward pure formal sculpture within organic volume, revealing the vitality of the universe.