Modern Figurative Sculptures
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition, Marble, Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s Philippine Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fabric, Faux Leather, Plastic, Paper
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Rubber
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lucite
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Tin
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Velvet, Polyester
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plywood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta, Wood
20th Century Belarusian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal, Chrome
2010s Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Velvet, Polyester
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
Mid-20th Century Korean Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
Mid-20th Century German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Multi-gemstone
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel