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Modern Sculptures

MODERN STYLE

The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.

Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.

The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.

Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.

Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Modern
"Tendresse", Penguins Resin with Gesso Sculpture by Thierry Amar
"Tendresse", Penguins Resin with Gesso Sculpture by Thierry Amar

"Tendresse", Penguins Resin with Gesso Sculpture by Thierry Amar

Located in Atlanta, GA

In the quiet presence of the material, a gesture older than language takes shape. Two beings lean toward one another—not to possess, but to recognize. The larger form opens like a re...

Category

2010s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Pointe shoes. Bronze sculpture, 2008
Pointe shoes. Bronze sculpture, 2008

Pointe shoes. Bronze sculpture, 2008

By Alex Radionov

Located in Zofingen, AG

Pointe Shoes. This name came to me when I saw a ballerina before a performance. She was getting ready to go on stage and carefully checking the laces of her pointe shoes. After all, ...

Category

Early 2000s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Learning the Ways, 2010

Learning the Ways, 2010

By Debra Fritts

Located in Atlanta, GA

As a child, I had dirt under my fingernails. I continue to allow the earth to feed me information for my art and for daily living. My expression is basic yet intrigues me to continue...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Rise. From The Inner Light Box series
Rise. From The Inner Light Box series

Rise. From The Inner Light Box series

By Eduardo Rezende

Located in Miami Beach, FL

In INNER LIGHT, Eduardo Rezende transforms the silhouette into a threshold — a boundary between the visible self and the hidden territories that dwell inside each person. Photographe...

Category

2010s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Archival Pigment, LED Light, Textile

"Jim Jim" Ebony Sculpture with Dark Patina, Portrait of Detroit Zoo Gorilla
"Jim Jim" Ebony Sculpture with Dark Patina, Portrait of Detroit Zoo Gorilla

"Jim Jim" Ebony Sculpture with Dark Patina, Portrait of Detroit Zoo Gorilla

Located in Detroit, MI

"Jim Jim" is an ebony carving by Tom Brun, sculptor and Detroit Zoo Keeper, who cared for the real Jim Jim at the Detroit Zoo. This ebony sculpture is in beautiful condition with slight exposure to the lighter streak of wood sometimes found in ebony. It is said that Tom would often go into a house and pick up one of his sculptures and say that it was unfriendly – meaning that it had not been handled enough. Morley Driver has said of Brun in a newspaper article from the 1950’s “In Any Animal He Sees Beauty”: No one who has ever seen a Tom Brun hippopotamus will ever again think of it as ugly or ungainly, meaning that the artist not only gives you beauty but teaches you to see it. Tom has said: “Small pieces are like a proverb – a gem of meaning that one can dissect.” They are meant to be picked up, caressed and held. Tom knew Jim Jim from birth and cared for him with love and attention. Brun was a compassionate zookeeper and advocated for less cages and more space for an animal to roam. Brun was born in England in 1913. A few years after the end of World War I his father moved the family in 1919 to Detroit, Michigan. In 1935 at age 23, he officially became a U.S. citizen. He served in the army during World War II for five years and upon discharge and at the age of 36 took advantage of the GI Bill and applied for admission to Society of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for Creative Studies) where he was gladly accepted. While at Arts and Crafts his instructors and established artists such as Sarkis Sarkisian, John P. Foster, Morris Brose, Richard Koslow, Patricia Burnett, Lloyd and Renee Radell...

Category

1950s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ebony

Venus, Modern Abstract Figurative Sculpture #37
Venus, Modern Abstract Figurative Sculpture #37

Venus, Modern Abstract Figurative Sculpture #37

By Doris Warner

Located in Soquel, CA

Wonderful small scale abstract figurative stone Venus sculpture by Doris Ann Warner (American, 1925-2010), 1975. A highly abstracted female form is expressed through the organic, f...

Category

1970s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

"Perché", Eucalyptus and Resin Sculpture by Thierry Amar
"Perché", Eucalyptus and Resin Sculpture by Thierry Amar

"Perché", Eucalyptus and Resin Sculpture by Thierry Amar

Located in Atlanta, GA

At the summit of this sculpted tree trunk, a solitary fisherman appears to cast his line into an invisible lake made of silence and thought. With no hook and no bait, his rod draws a...

Category

2010s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Resin, Wood

Frammento

Frammento

By Jacopo SCASSELLATI

Located in Atlanta, GA

Jacopo Scassellati was born in Sassari (Sardinia) in 1989 where he still resides today. His family is originally from Umbria. Very early on, he displayed a strong predisposition for ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

John Glick Plum Street Pottery Glazed Bowl Reduction Fired
John Glick Plum Street Pottery Glazed Bowl Reduction Fired

John Glick Plum Street Pottery Glazed Bowl Reduction Fired

By John Glick 1

Located in Detroit, MI

"Untitled" is a stoneware piece with the decorative layer of the rich toned glazes and markings that John was so well-known for. Each piece that John produced was unique. The lip on this piece is slightly scalloped and the shape is removed from the boring circular to mimic a gentle geometric design. He was seduced by the effects of the reduction kiln, which decreased the levels of oxygen during firing, inducing the flame to pull oxygen out of the clay and glazes changing the colors of the glazes depending on their iron and copper content. In this way he achieved the rich gradients of ochre and umber and variations in stippling and opacity. This piece is signed and stamped on the bottom. John was an American Abstract Expressionist ceramicist born in Detroit, MI. Though open to artistic experimentation, Glick was most influenced by the styles and aesthetics of Asian pottery—an inspiration that shows in his use of decorative patterns and glaze choices. He has said that he is attracted to simplicity, as well as complexity: my work continually reflects my re-examination that these two poles can coexist… or not, in a given series. Glick also took influences from master potters of Japan, notably Shoji Hamada and Kanjrio Kawai, blending their gestural embellishments of simple forms with attitudes of Abstract Expressionism. He was particularly drown to the work of Helen Frankenthaler whose soak-stain style resonated with Glick’s multi-layered glaze surfaces, which juxtaposed veils of atmospheric color with gestural marks and pattern. He spent countless hours developing and making his own tools in order to achieve previously unseen results in his work with clay and glaze. Glick’s “Plum Tree Pottery...

Category

1970s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Art Decò Lenci Style Modern Italian Ceramic and Mosaic
Art Decò Lenci Style Modern Italian Ceramic and Mosaic

Art Decò Lenci Style Modern Italian Ceramic and Mosaic

Located in Roma, IT

Lenci Style Modern Italian Ceramic and Mosaic Beautiful multicolored sculpture attributed to the Lenci factory Faenza ceramic mosaic Moving inscription with dedication on the back in Italian “In the uncertain moments of your life, always turn to her; you will be heard. Memory Pina” 19\2\1941 Original white lacquered wooden frame. This artwork, never before on the market, comes from an important European private collection Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Sabrina Egidi official Expert in Italian furniture for the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and for the Rome Civil Courts. Our company has been present on this platform for many years, with numerous sales made and just as many excellent reviews received that you can under our Furniture account. Lenci doll...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Mosaic

Fiona
Fiona

Fiona

By Alex Radionov

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Fiona" - one of the series "Dreams about Sea". Unique cast bronze sculpture with patina. Representing a woman inspired by the sea. The elongated, stylized form emphasizes elegance...

Category

2010s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Metal, Bronze

Untitled: Modernist Abstract Figure/Creature
Untitled: Modernist Abstract Figure/Creature

Untitled: Modernist Abstract Figure/Creature

Located in New York, NY

Ellen Key-Oberg (1905-1989), "Untitled: Modernist Abstract Figure/Creature", Abstract/ Modern Lithograph on Paper signed in Pencil, 21 x 17, Mid 20th Century Colors: Black and White...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Lithograph

Victor Salmones Signed Bronze Bust of a Young Child
Victor Salmones Signed Bronze Bust of a Young Child

Victor Salmones Signed Bronze Bust of a Young Child

By Victor Salmones

Located in Los Angeles, CA

An untitled signed bronze sculpture by the Mexican artist, Victor Salmones (1937 - 1989) from an edition of 10. Numbered 1 of 10. Signature "Victor Salmones. 1/10" in cast. In excellent original condition. Victor Salmones (1937-1989) was the most widely known sculptor living and working in Mexico during his lifetime. His sculptures won him universal acclaim and are held in the collections of museums, corporations, cities, universities and private collectors in some 30 countries. During his career, he was highly sought after and increasingly involved in the execution of commissions for major public works around the world. Salmones developed his love and talent for creating sculpture by working with clay in high school. He attended the Instituto de Bellas Artes (Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts), where he was an apprentice to the Bauhaus master, Otto Hoffman. He was trained to use the exacting, age-old lost wax method of casting and worked principally in bronze. Hoffman's encouragement led to the opening of Victor's own sculpture workshop in Cuernavaca in 1966. In 1967, Salmones’ fluid bronze “Adam” won first prize at the Biennale Exposition of the National Museum of Modern Art. His work continued to win the highest critical acclaim at subsequent Biennale expositions, and in 1971, over hundreds of entries, his life-size bronze Narcissus...

Category

1970s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Horn Player
Horn Player

SEMION RABINKOVHorn Player, 1995

$2,113Sale Price|34% Off

Horn Player

Located in Los Angeles, CA

SEMION RABINKOV "UNICYCLE HORN PLAYER" BRONZE, SIGNED, NUMBERED 1/9 MOLDOVAN-AMERICAN, C.1990'S 27.5 INCHES Semion was born in Chisinau, Moldova, 1954...

Category

1990s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ballon YO White
Ballon YO White

Ballon YO White

By Mauro Corda

Located in Atlanta, GA

Mauro Corda’s figurative sculptures maintain a reverence for classical and modernist traditions, while also expressing the artist’s voice. Though born in France, the artist hails fro...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Modern sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Scott Troxel, Pablo Picasso, Richard Orlinski, and Stefan Traloc. Frequently made by artists working with Metal, and Bronze and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern sculptures, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available. Prices for sculptures made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $580,000, while the average work sells for $3,733.