Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Paper
1970s North American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Chrome
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Israeli Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 20th Century Israeli Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Plate, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal
Early 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 2000s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s European Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Iron
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood, Felt, Ceramic
20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Paper
1990s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Canvas, Paper
Mid-20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Textile, Paper
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1980s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1990s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1960s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver, Brass
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Mahogany
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1980s North American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Silver
Early 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum