Batman Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
People Also Browsed
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Canadian Natural Specimens
Other
Vintage 1910s American Art Nouveau Table Lamps
Bronze
Early 20th Century American American Classical Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver
Vintage 1910s Persian Kirman Persian Rugs
Wool
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1910s American More Desk Accessories
Gold
Early 20th Century French Louis XVI Chandeliers and Pendants
Crystal, Ormolu
2010s American Decorative Art
Limestone
Antique 1890s English Animal Sculptures
Silver
Antique 1720s Chinese Chinese and East Asian Rugs
Wool
Vintage 1960s Italian Centerpieces
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Vintage 1980s Italian Post-Modern Fountains
Marble, Bronze
Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Natural Specimens
Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Rock Crystal
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Centerpieces
Malachite, Silver
20th Century French More Clocks
Bronze
A Close Look at modern Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Finding the Right busts for You
The presence of vintage and antique bust sculptures can add a necessary decorative layer to any interior. And just because a statue looks classical doesn't mean it has to be conventional.
A touch of whimsy, a dose of drama — a single bust can alter a room. And when placed in just the right spot, these statues can almost feel alive.
“They give humanity in a way that a more abstract sculpture can’t give,” says Los Angeles designer Timothy Corrigan, who loves pieces that beg to be touched. For a welcoming entry hall project in California, Corrigan selected an antique Persian rug and a bust that invites you to touch it. A collection of sculptures in wood, marble and brass complement the star of the show.
For Consort cofounder and creative director Mat Sanders, a bust doesn’t have to be pretty. “I most enjoy busts that are a little busted,” Sanders jokes — but choose something with a soul you can live with, as “sculpture representative of the human form carries with it an energy you will add to the space.”
The antique and vintage bust sculptures for sale on 1stDibs include Art Deco busts, mid-century modern busts and more.
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