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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Hong Kong Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Metal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Metal, Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
Mid-20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Textile, Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Leaf
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Canvas, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1990s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1960s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1980s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
2010s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver, Brass
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Mahogany
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1980s North American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Silver
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
Early 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Gold
1980s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Malachite, Gold
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone, Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
Early 2000s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Carbon Fiber
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1970s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Brass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Carrara Marble