Machine age Chrome Ever spun aluminum adjustable desk top electric fan
Located in Ferndale, MI
Smaller Art Deco era electric fan . Chrom Ever is the manufacturer though the fan is made of aluminum . Ten inch blade inside of eleven inch cage . Adjustable angle with turn of a w...
Aluminum
Education Model Sculpture in Chrome of Rotating and Revolving Planet Rings
Located in London, GB
Large chrome globe sculpture, a decorative and educational model featuring a series of rotating planetary rings. The design incorporates five concentric rings arranged around the cen...
Chrome
Vintage Fagus Toy Tractor, Solid Oak Construction, Rubber Tires
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Toy tractor by Fagus represents German design philosophy applied to educational playthings. Constructed entirely from solid oak using doweled and interlocking joinery without metal f...
Metal
Rare Oversized Puzzle Sculpture by Sori Yanagi - 1970
By Sori Yanagi
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
Rare Sori Yanagi 3-Level Oversized Wood Puzzle Sculpture This striking oversized wood puzzle sculpture was created by renowned Japanese designer Sori Yanagi, celebrated worldwide fo...
Wood
Early Paolo Soleri Hanging Bronze Bell 1950s Wall Mounted
By Paolo Soleri
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage bronze Cosanti bell by Paolo Soleri with a wall mount bracket. This a hard to find early casting with protrusions that are not found on later designs. The chamber has the Cos...
Bronze
Wall sculpture “Soleil” Curtis Jere, circa 1960
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Soleil, a wall sculpture made of metal and folded brass sheets. American work corresponding to the creations of Curtis Freller and Jerry Fels (Curtis Jere). In very good original con...
Metal, Brass, Copper
1950's Wood Motorcycle Model
Located in New York, NY
Unique motorcycle model with moving parts, fully constructed in wood. New Hampshire, circa 1950's.
Wood
Val Bertoia Sonambient Sculpture "Buffalo Shaped Sound"
By Val Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
"Buffalo Shaped Sound" A kinetic Sonambient sculpture by Val Bertoia composed of 122 Beryllium rods silvered to solid brass mounted on wood stand. The 122 purple tipped beryllium ro...
Brass
Laurent Martin Lo, Bamboo "Kinetic" Sculpture, France, circa 2000
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Laurent Martin Lo, Bamboo "Kinetic" sculpture, bamboo in balance, lightness and flexibility, Bamboo, rope and counterweight, France, circa 2000. Measures: 110 x 290 cm. The ...
Bamboo
Michael Cutler Hanging Kinetic Aluminium Sculpture
By Michael Cutler
Located in Ferndale, MI
Michael Cutler designed steel rod circle holding rotating three-piece aluminum mobile sculpture . Very good condition .
Aluminum
Kinetic Lucite Plexiglass Obelisk Sculpture, circa 1970
By Studio Italia Design
Located in Atlanta, GA
This stunning Lucite or Plexiglass sculpture features an abstract, geometric swirl shape with a milky white color, mounted on a tall, stepped black acrylic base. The piece was expert...
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
François COLETTE (1936-2024) : Chrome plated stabile sculpture , 1973
By François Colette
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
François COLETTE (1936-2024) : Stabile Chrome plated and articulated stabile sculpture Signed 'F.C.' and dated '73' Dimensions Height 47 cm Width 40 cm Depth 30 cm Good conditions
Metal
Modernist Gray Lucite Kinetic Celestial Orbit Sculpture Astrolabe, circa 1970
By Studio Italia Design
Located in Atlanta, GA
This stunning rotating astrolabe is a gorgeous kinetic sculpture. The rare celestial orbit piece was crafted in Italy circa 1970. The six circles are made of Acrylic Lucite in a smok...
Acrylic, Lucite
Vintage Dimensional Abstract Sculpture
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage Dimensional Abstract Sculpture. We offer a great abstract expressionism dimensional kinetic sculpture mounted on a wood base. Great coffee table or bookcase accessory!
Aluminum
$3,200Sale Price|34% Off
Small ‘Mouse’ Stabile Sculpture by Margery Kahn 1950
By Margery Kahn
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Table top and of a diminutive size, signature stamped on underside of top. Margery worked during the mid-20th century at the Met in NYC.
Metal
Kinetic light sculpture ‘Struttura Tricroma’ by Giovanni Anceschi, Italy 1963
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Important kinetic light sculpture ‘Struttura Tricroma’ by Giovanni Anceschi (Milan, 1934), Italy, 1963. This work is one of the most significant pieces by Giovanni Anceschi: a 'magic...
Acrylic, Wood
Grazia Varisco Kinetic Light artwork 'Schemi luminosi variabili', Italy 1962
Located in Rotterdam, ZH
Rare and important Kinetic light artwork by Grazia Varisco (Milan 1937), Italy 1962. Intriguing work which shows a continuously changing ray of light streams, glittering like stars i...
Acrylic
1950s Kinetic Modernist Sculpture Machine by Engel
Located in Palm Springs, CA
1950's kinetic art sculpture, possibly created by Jules Engel of Los Angeles and very reminiscent of artworks by Jean Tinguely. Sculpture measures 35" in height by 21" wide by 15" d...
Metal
Invertible Cube Signed, Colored and Handmade by Paul Schatz, 1898-1979
By Paul Schatz
Located in Munster, NRW
The invertible cube, signed, colored and handmade by Paul Schatz, 1898-1979. Anthroposoph, Artist & Mathematician, (authenticity confirmed by Paul Schatz Foundation). Measures...
Paper
Joseph Meerbott Kinetic Sculpture
By Joseph Meerbott 1
Located in Dallas, TX
Wonderful enameled metal kinetic sculpture by Joseph Meerbott. In two pieces, some minor loss to enamel.
Metal
$1,900
Patriotic Flag Whirligig
Located in Lancaster, PA
Celebrate American craftsmanship with this charming c. 1940 patriotic whirligig. Crafted from wood and metal, this delightful piece features two men and an American flag, capturing a...
Paint
Large Bertoia Studios 10-Rod 'B-2700' Brass, Copper & Silver Sound Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia, Val Bertoia
Located in Glendale, CA
Large Bertoia Studios 10-Rod 'B-2700' Brass, Copper & Silver Sound Sculpture. A lyrical and musical sound sculpture with certificate of authenticity signed by Val, the artist and son...
Silver, Brass, Copper
Large Bertoia Studios 24-Rod 'Star of Sound / B-2482' Copper & Brass Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia, Val Bertoia
Located in Glendale, CA
Large Bertoia Studios 24-rod 'Star of Sound B-2482' copper & brass sculpture. A lyrical and musical sound sculpture with certificate of authenticity signed by Val, the artist and son...
Silver, Brass, Copper
Large Bertoia Studios 32-Rod 'Sounding Chess / B-2466' Copper & Brass Sculpture
By Val Bertoia, Harry Bertoia
Located in Glendale, CA
Large Bertoia Studios 32-Rod 'Sounding Chess / B-2466' copper & brass sculpture. A lyrical and musical sound sculpture with certificate of authenticity signed by Val, the artist and ...
Silver, Brass, Copper
$1,625Sale Price|35% Off
Art Deco WWII Military Strategy Chalk Teaching Globe on Stand by Denoyer-Geppert
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare art deco WWII military strategy chalk teaching globe by Denoyer-Geppert with period chrome stand, circa 1940s. The globe is in good condition with original paint; there are seve...
Chrome, Steel
1970s Formula 1 Car Sculpture Made with Assorted Old Mechanical Metal Pieces
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s Formula 1 car sculpture made with assorted old mechanical metal pieces: cars, bikes, lawnmowers, etc.
Iron
1970's Charles Taylor Large Modernist Kinetic Sculpture
By Charles Taylor
Located in New York, NY
Fabulous 1970's modernist large Kinetic aluminum sculpture designed by Charles Taylor Model #450 in vintage original condition with minor wear and patina due to age and use.
Aluminum
$460Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Wood Survey Measuring Large Stick by Lenner
Located in San Diego, CA
Hard to find a rare vintage wood measuring stick by Lenner.
Aluminum
1950s Asian Handcrafted Wood Burmese String Opera Marionette Wall Decor
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Exquisite Vintage 1950s Handcrafted Wooden Marionette with Burmese String, Reflecting Asian Opera Artistry. This splendid Burmese-Thai marionette is a testament to masterful hand car...
Fabric, Wood
Classic Alex Moulton 4-speed Bicycle, modernist design
By Huffy Corp.
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic Alex Moulton 4-speed Bicycle, modernist design.. Amazing design,, All original,, Nice condition,,great riding bike,, probably can use a good tune up..
Steel
Albert Chubac, Important Geometric Sculpture, France, circa 1960
By Albert Chubac
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Albert Chubac (1925-2008), Important geometric sculpture, Painted wood, France, circa 1960. Measures: Height 111 cm, width 60 cm, depth 35 cm. Albert Chubac was born in Geneva in 1...
Wood
Bronze Cosanti Bell by Paolo Soleri
By Paolo Soleri
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful bronze Cosanti bell by Paolo Soleri. Uncommon shape and design. Fantastic patina and a great sound. Signed. A unique piece from a celebrated artist. Unique attribute to thi...
Bronze
Modern Complex Tools Group Sculpture Welded Tools
By Feliciano Béjar
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Modern sculpture of real and old welded together tools. In style of Feliciano Bejar.
1970s Helicopter Sculpture Made with Assorted Old Mechanical Metal Pieces
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s helicopter sculpture made with assorted old mechanical metal pieces: cars, bikes, lawnmowers, etc.
Iron
1970s Tank with Cannon Sculpture Made with Assorted Old Mechanical Metal Pieces
Located in Marbella, ES
1970s tank with cannon sculpture made with assorted old mechanical metal pieces: cars, bikes, lawnmowers, etc.
Iron
Torch Cut Floral Arrangement from Brotman's Sausalito
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Hanover, MA
Torch cut brass and mixed metal kinetic floral spray in the style of Curtis Jere retailed through Brotman's Village Fair in Sausalito, CA circa 1970
Brass
Albert Chubac, Sculpture, "TOTEM", Painted Iron, circa 1980, France
By Albert Chubac
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Albert Chubac, cinetic sculpture, "Cage", Painted iron, circa 1980, France. Measures: Height 52 cm, depth 10 cm, width 10 cm. Albert Chubac was born in Geneva in 1920. After stud...
Iron
Albert Chubac, Cinetic Sculpture, "Cage", Painted Iron, circa 1980, France
By Albert Chubac
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Albert Chubac, cinetic sculpture, "Cage", Painted iron, circa 1980, France. Measures: Height 37 cm, depth 11 cm, width 11 cm. Albert Chubac was born in Geneva in 1920. After stud...
Iron
Scultura cinetica italiana modern in plastica gialla di Franco Costalonga 1970
Located in MIlano, IT
Scultura cinetica composta da un tubolare in plastica giallo senape e una sfera con all’interno una bacchetta di radio che genera fasci di colore giallo. Realizzata da Franco Costalo...
Art Glass, Plastic
Table Top Acrylic Spray Sculpture
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Fun table top kinetic acrylic and wire spray with small brass tips. Cube measures 2.25" with the diameter of the spray reaching out to 32" diameter. Top on arches measure around 11"....
Metal
$175 / item
Six Blenko Glass Zodiac Box
By Blenko Glass
Located in New York, NY
Set of Blenko art glass zodiac plaques. Being sold individually. There are: 2 Taurus 1 Aries 2 Cancer 1 Libra.
Art Glass
$2,794Sale Price|20% Off
Italian Vintage Green Wooden Door from Capri
Located in Milano, IT
Wonderful Italian wooden door from Capri belonging to the 1960s, in a beautiful rustic chic style. The door is a classic rectangular door, but lower than the current norm because ho...
Brass
Beautiful Bronze Bell by Paolo Soleri
By Paolo Soleri
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful bronze Cosanti bell by Paolo Soleri. Uncommon shape and design. Fantastic patina and a great sound. Signed. A unique piece from a celebrated artist. Unique attribute to thi...
Bronze
Rare Bill Curry Cattail Room Divider / Sculpture for Design Line 29 Cattails
By Bill Curry & Design Line
Located in Buffalo, NY
Extremely rare Cattail Sculpture / Room divider designed by Bill Curry for Design Line,,Featuring 29 metal rods with beautifully shaped and painted oval tops..Amazing colors ,, shade...
Metal
Harry Bertoia Gold Plated Bronze Diagonal Double Tonal Sonambient Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in St. Louis, MO
Sculptor and Artist Harry Bertoia gold plated bronze Sonambient sculpture, diagonal double tonal, circa 1965. Two groupings of thin rods at different angles on poured slab of bronze....
Bronze
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Large Curtis C Jere Brass Spray Sculpture on Marble Base
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Wayne, NJ
Large Curtis C Jere brass spray sculpture on marble base ribbon forms with rods. Unsigned. many times from cleaning, the signature gets worn off through the years.
Marble, Metal
Royal Dutch Navy Grumman Avanger TBM3 1960 Airplane Model
Located in Weesp, NL
Big and beautiful 1960 Grumman Avenger TBM3 Royal Dutch Navy airplane model. This beautiful replica once flew with remote control and it comes without remote control. It has not been...
Plastic, Wood
Vintage 1960s Modernist Inspired Handcrafted Hanging Wall Sculpture/Room Divider
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage 1960s Modernist inspired handcrafted hanging wall sculpture / room divider by New Zealand Artist Andrew Reid. circa 1990s. Features a combination of geometric shapes with ro...
Wire
Paul A. Lobel Sterling Fisherman Kinetic Sculpture
By Paul Lobel
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul A. Lobel (1899-1983) modernist silversmith, sculptor and artist. Lobel sold his jewelry and art at his Greenwich village shop in the 1940s and 1950s. This two-piece sterling Kin...
Sterling Silver
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Kinetic Reeds Sculpture Incised Concrete Base Vintage 1950s Studio Craft
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Interesting kinetic tall grass / reeds sculpture on impressed or molded base. Fair vintage condition, showing wear to base. Measures: Base is W 6½ x D 6 in. Total height is 34 in.
Concrete
Bronze and Aluminum Sculpture "The Flame"
Located in New York, NY
Bronze and aluminum sculpture and brass, rotating, "the flame." Nameless.
Aluminum, Brass, Bronze
William Bowie Kinetic Sculpture
By William Bowie
Located in Brooklyn, NY
1960s Bowie Brutalist work composed of patinated steel rods and braze welded masonry nails with gilt decoration which fan out to create a free-form / moving sculpture. The cluster of...
Stone, Steel
Monumental Modernist Mixed Metal Kinetic Floor Sculpture by Irving Lehman
By Irving George Lehman
Located in Buffalo, NY
Titled Galaxy 79, which I believe to be the year? Amazing mixed metal sculpture, consisting of copper, brass, aluminum steel and wood. Aluminum frame consisting of five moving abstra...
Brass, Copper, Cut Steel, Aluminum
Mobile Statue - Drawing by Mino Maccari - Mid-20th Century
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
Mobile Statue is a china ink drawing realized by Mino Maccari (1924-1989) in the Mid-20th Century.
Ink
Mid-Century Modern Corner Bar Cabinet in Rosewood
Located in Torino, IT
Raro mobile bar angolare Mid-Century Modern, realizzato in palissandro, essenza pregiata scelta negli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta per arredi destinati a interni sofisticati e rappresen...
Palisander
Mid 20th century Scandinavian steel mobile clothes rail
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Mid 20th century scandinavian steel mobile clothes rail circa 1960.
Steel
Mid-Century Modern Teak Corner Cabinet with Doors
Located in Torino, IT
Elegante mobile angolare realizzato in teak, espressione autentica del design Mid-Century Modern nord-europeo.
Teak
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
It's hard to resist the allure of a beautiful pool. So, go ahead and daydream about whiling away your summer in paradise.
Modern icons are showing up in gracefully layered dining nooks, living rooms and lounges — proof that great design only gets better with context.
With its grid-like doors and wavy trim, the 1940s design feels as fresh as ever.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Prehistoric motifs give the mid-century Italian fireplace an elemental feel.
Their charming solid-oak pieces offer homes utility and comfort.
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Designer Susan Yeley turned to 1stDibs to outfit an Indiana home with standout pieces that complement its modernist style.