Modern 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Leather
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Bronze
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Plaster
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Guatemalan Modern Sculptures
Wood, Mahogany
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s Dominican Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Dominican Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Dominican Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Dominican Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass
2010s Dominican Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Pine, Paint
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Clay
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Polyester
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Sculptures
Brass, Metal
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Indian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Indian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Fur, Leather, Wool, Glass, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech, Fur
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Fur, Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Wool, Beech, Glass, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Beech, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Fur, Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Fur, Leather, Wool, Glass, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wool, Glass, Beech
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
Early 2000s German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood