Space Age Sculptures
Vintage Space Age furniture captured post–World War II optimism with swooping shapes, bowed lines and experimentation with new materials including plastic and fiberglass.
From the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957 to the landing of Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon in 1969, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States propelled advancements in technology that transformed culture. Space Age design encompassed fashion, architecture, cars, furniture and objects for the home, bringing wonder and hope for the future into everyday life.
Coinciding with Pop art, Space Age style featured bold colors and forms. Eero Aarnio’s Ball chair, which debuted in 1966, used molded fiberglass for a capsule-like space while Verner Panton’s 1959 Panton chair was a single piece of molded plastic for a gravity-defying S shape. Red versions of Olivier Mourgue’s 1964 Djinn chair were futuristic enough to appear on the space station in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, Joe Colombo is revered as a master of modern Italian design thanks to the provocative modular furniture pieces he created, such as the Tube chair and the Elda armchair, both of which embody the future-forward spirit of the Space Age.
The Space Age spirit extended to home building too. The futuristic Case Study Houses, which were designed by the likes of Pierre Koenig, Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra and Whitney R. Smith, are considered a high point of modernism and the Southern California lifestyle.
Sometimes the nods to space exploration were more literal, like moon and star motifs or the 1965 Eclisse lamp by Vico Magistretti that saw the mid-century Italian designer integrating a movable inner shade to “eclipse” the light source. Alongside the pioneering moon missions, JVC manufactured the Videosphere portable television reminiscent of the Apollo 11 space helmets.
Although the style faded in the 1970s — with the 1975 joining of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts signaling a new era of cooperation and the global oil crisis impacting the availability of plastics — the era’s innovations influenced designers into the 21st century such as Zaha Hadid and Djivan Schapira.
Find a collection of vintage Space Age seating, tables, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
1980s Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Steel, Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century German Space Age Sculptures
Brass
1970s French Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Sheet Metal
1960s American Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Brass, Copper, Steel
1980s Swedish Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Art Glass
1970s Argentine Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Space Age Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Steel
1980s German Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plastic
20th Century American Space Age Sculptures
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century French Space Age Sculptures
Terracotta
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Steel
1960s European Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Lead
1970s Brazilian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Synthetic, Lucite, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century French Space Age Sculptures
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century French Space Age Sculptures
Concrete
2010s Dutch Space Age Sculptures
Blown Glass
1960s Brazilian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Metal, Bronze, Copper
1960s Swiss Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Fiberglass
1970s German Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plastic
1970s American Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Steel, Chrome
1970s French Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plexiglass
1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Stainless Steel, Chrome
1950s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Iron
1970s German Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plastic, Acrylic
1950s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Fiberglass, Fabric
1950s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
Early 2000s Mexican Space Age Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Murano Glass
1960s Danish Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Plastic, Acrylic
20th Century European Space Age Sculptures
Chrome
Early 2000s Italian Space Age Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Space Age Sculptures
Metal
1980s European Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Resin, Epoxy Resin, Plastic, Fiberglass
1960s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Marble, Metal, Chrome
1980s Dutch Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
Late 20th Century North American Space Age Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Upholstery, Faux Leather
1970s French Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Stainless Steel, Magnets
1970s Italian Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Metal, Chrome
Late 20th Century Belgian Space Age Sculptures
Stone, Brass, Copper
1960s Dutch Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Steel
1960s Vintage Space Age Sculptures
Resin