Postmodern Haeger Peach Blush Ceramic Vase, Glazed Finish, USA, 1980s
By Haeger
Located in New York, NY
Postmodern Haeger Peach Blush pink abstract vase, medium size. Looks stunning on its own or as part of a group. In great condition, no crazing or cracks. Measures: H 9"/ W 10.5"/ D 4...
Ceramic, Pottery
Postmodern Handmade Orange, Red and Black Glazed Ceramic Vase, Germany
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Germany, 1970s. This handmade vase is made in glazed ceramic. It is a vintage piece, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered as in very good o...
Ceramic
Contemporary Rough Organic Form, Dark Grey Ceramic Vase by Niclas Wolf
Located in Geneve, CH
Geoprimitive 129 Ceramic Vase by Niclas Wolf Unique Piece. Dimensions: Ø 35 x H 37 cm. Materials: Ceramic. GEOPRIMITIVE_ is a design series that compares and connects the Precambria...
Ceramic
Contemporary Organic Form, Dark Grey Ceramic Sculptural Vase by Niclas Wolf
Located in Geneve, CH
Geoprimitive 079 Sculptural Vase by Niclas Wolf Unique Piece. Dimensions: Ø 35 x H 59,5 cm. Materials: Ceramic. GEOPRIMITIVE_ is a design series that compares and connects the Preca...
Ceramic
Set of Blue Ceramic Large KYO Vase and White Large Kyo Vase Star by Mazo Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of blue ceramic large KYO vase and white large Kyo vase star by Mazo Design Dimensions: D 29 x H 26 cm / D 12 x H 23.5 cm Materials: glazed ceramic. Both functional and scul...
Other
Ceramic vase Memphis, “HSING” by Ettore Sottsass blue star, Milan, late 1980s.
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Milan, IT
Memphis Milano painted ceramic vase, “HSING”by Ettore Sottsass, blue star-shaped color. Alessio Sarri ceramiche. Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture collective founded ...
Ceramic
Ceramic vase Memphis, “HSING” by Ettore Sottsass yellow star, Milan late 1980s.
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Milan, IT
Memphis Milano painted ceramic vase, “HSING”by Ettore Sottsass, yellow star-shaped color. Alessio Sarri ceramiche. Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture collective founde...
Ceramic
$213Sale Price / set|57% Off
Set of Three 1980s Blue Green Ceramic Vases / Candle Sticks
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Set of three handmade Danish ceramic vases / candle sticks with graphic decor using the raw ceramic as part of a straight lined pattern resembling a landscape or a sunset. Same styli...
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Ceramic vase Memphis by Ettore Sottsass red star-shaped color, Milan, late 1980.
By Ettore Sottsass, Memphis Milano
Located in Milan, IT
Memphis Milano painted ceramic vase, “HSING”by Ettore Sottsass, red star-shaped color. Alessio Sarri ceramiche. Memphis Group, an Italian design and architecture collective founded b...
Ceramic
AMANO - Vintage Ceramic Vase - Rich Red Glaze - Germany - Late 20th Century
By Scheurich Keramik
Located in Chatham, ON
AMANO - Vintage ceramic vase - rich red glaze - bullet shape - signed on the base - impressed model number '629-18' - Germany - late 20th century. Excellent vintage condition - no l...
Ceramic
A unique ceramic vase by Tony Evans, signed, late 20th century
By Tony Evans
Located in View Park, CA
A absolutely stunning and wildly unique ceramic vase - art piece really - by Tony Evans, signed, late 20th century. Featuring an idiosyncratic lava glaze over scintillating pigments ...
Ceramic
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Black Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund
Located in Geneve, CH
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Black Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund Dimensions: D 27 x W 29 x H 46 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Large vase with an organic textured exterior. This piece ...
Ceramic
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Offwhite Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund
Located in Geneve, CH
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Offwhite Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund Dimensions: D 27 x W 28 x H 47,5 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Large vase with an organic textured exterior. This p...
Ceramic
Large 1990s Postmodern Handcrafted Ceramic Floor Vase Signed by the Artist.
Located in Miami, FL
Large Postmodern Handcrafted Ceramic Floor Vase Signed by the American Artist Patricia A Beatty. Dated 1993 Features a large-sized urn shaped with an abstract configuration of color...
Ceramic, Paint
Memphis Style Ceramic Vase by Luciano Florio Paccagnella for Florio Keramia, 90s
By Luciano Florio Paccagnella, Florio Keramia
Located in Lucija, SI
Postmodern designed by Florio Paccagnella for Florio Keramia, Italy, 1990s Luciano Florio Paccagnella is a Memphis Group hero that has been forgotten by history. Paccagnella was dis...
Ceramic
Set of 2 Medium White Ceramic KYO Vases by Mazo Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 medium white ceramic KYO vases by Mazo Design Dimensions: D 19.5 x H 21.5 cm Materials: glazed ceramic. Both functional and sculptural, the new collection from mazo is ...
Other
Michel Harvey Pink Trompe-l’Oeil Ceramic Tank Top Vase Sculpture, Canada, 1980s
By Michel Harvey
Located in Toronto, CA
Playful, sculptural, and exceptionally rare, this trompe-l’œil ceramic vase by Canadian artist Michel Harvey reimagines a classic sleeveless tank top in a soft pink glaze—an uncommon...
Ceramic, Clay
Kathy Erteman, b.1952, Studio Artist Ceramic Vase Vessel, Postmodern, 1991
By Kathy Erteman
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
Striking, early example of Kathy Erteman’s work, dating to 1991.
Ceramic
Organic Shape, Plain Terracotta Ceramic Large Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Lata Vase by Willem Van Hooff Core Vessel Series Dimensions: W 58 x D 10 x H 26 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material...
Ceramic, Earthenware
Ettore Sottsass Y23 Vase in White Enameled Ceramic Yantra Series Poltronova 70s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
This ceramic piece is part of the Yantra series by Ettore Sottsass, a collection of thirty-nine forms including containers, ashtrays, vases and bowls, created between 1969 and 1973 a...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Y29 Vase in Black Enameled Ceramic Yantra Series Poltronova 70s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
This ceramic piece is part of the Yantra series by Ettore Sottsass, a collection of thirty-nine forms including containers, ashtrays, vases and bowls, created between 1969 and 1973 a...
Ceramic
Sergio Asti Jaipur Vase in Black Enameled Ceramic Dated 1980s Author's Proof
By Sergio Asti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Jaipur vase in black enameled ceramic, designed by Sergio Asti and datable in the 1980s. The vase is an author's proof as indicated under the base. The ceramics and glass producti...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Model 585 Oxblood Red Ceramic Vase, Il Sestante, Italy, 1961
By Ettore Sottsass
Located in Dronten, NL
An exceptional example of Ettore Sottsass’ early ceramic production, this striking vase—model 585—was designed in 1960 and realized circa 1961 by the Società Ceramica Toscana di Figl...
Ceramic
Organic Shape, Plain Beige Contemporary Ceramic Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Big Efir Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 65 x D 10 x H 42 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed cerami...
Ceramic
Ettore Sottsass Y15 Vase in Black Enameled Ceramic Yantra Series Poltronova 70s
By Ettore Sottsass, Poltronova
Located in Cascina, Pisa
This ceramic piece is part of the Yantra series by Ettore Sottsass, a collection of thirty-nine forms including containers, ashtrays, vases and bowls, created between 1969 and 1973 a...
Ceramic
Cisco Jiménez Hand-Painted Big Ceramic Vase With Green And Black Lines
By Cisco Jimenez
Located in Mexico City, MX
A big white ceramic vase hand-painted with green and black lines by Mexican artist Cisco Jiménez. The lines on the vase are entangled in a dynamic composition. The vase is signed and...
Ceramic
Postmodern Blue and Teal Ceramic Vase in the style of Bitossi
By Bitossi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1960s - 1970s. This is a blue and cyan glazed and engraved ceramic vase. It is a vintage item, therefore it might show slight traces of use, but it can be considered...
Ceramic
$180Sale Price|20% Off
Fuji Clos China Glazed Ceramic Pottery Japan Postmodern Vase
By Fuji Meibo
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful ceramic vase in gloss black finish with gold and coastal shell motif, circa 1980s made by Fuji Japan.
Porcelain
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Petrol Blue Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund
Located in Geneve, CH
Jaca Vase No. 17 in Petrol Blue Organic Textured Ceramic by Hanna Englund Dimensions: D 27 x W 28 x H 44,5 cm. Materials: Ceramic. Large vase with an organic textured exterior. Thi...
Ceramic
Crystalline Glaze Ceramic Vase, Red and Beige, American Art Studio Pottery
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
The monumental studio pottery ceramic vase is decorated with crystalline glaze in striking, dark red and beige palette. The vase was hand thrown on a wheel; beige color crystals on ...
Ceramic, Pottery
Memphis Milano Style Handmade Ceramic Vase Made by Wilma Van Der P
Located in Doornspijk, NL
This ceramic vase is actually composed of two vases riveted together, having each their own shape, color and style. One is triangular matte black and handleless and only glazed on th...
Ceramic
David Gil large 12" ceramic vase " Spark " black rare by Bennington Pottery
By Bennington Potters, David Gil
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nice and one of the largest samples of the vase title " Spark" in black pottery glaze matt color.
Ceramic
Vestal Vase in Glazed, Hand-Thrown Ceramic by Gazar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Vestal Vase in Glazed, Hand-Thrown Ceramic by Gazar Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: Ø 15.4 x H 39 cm. Materials: Glazed ceramic. Dimensions may vary. Please contact us. A hand-thro...
Clay
Postmodern White Ceramic Vase by Ambrogio Pozzi with Hand Painted Details, Italy
By Michielotto Top Design, Ambrogio Pozzi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1980s. This vase is made in ceramic and features pink, purple, crimson, grey and light blue hand painted parts. It might show slight traces of use since it's vintage, ...
Ceramic
Sergio Asti BBK Vase in White Enameled Ceramic Dated in 1980s Author's Proof
By Sergio Asti
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Vase in white enameled ceramic, designed by Sergio Asti and datable in the 1980s. The vase is an author's proof as indicated under the base. The ceramics and glass production of S...
Ceramic
Black Ceramic Vase Handcrafted in Italy -Sardinia Black Bubble Family Collection
By CuoreCarpenito
Located in Reggio Emilia, IT
The Black Sardinia Vase is the version in a beautiful shiny black enamel of the Sardina Vase, in turquoise, from the Bubble Family Collection. Entirely handmade using the lathe and s...
Ceramic
Organic High Neck Plain Terracotta Ceramic Sculpture Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
KItu Small Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 24 x D 7 x H 35 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Ceram...
Ceramic
Contemporary Sculpted Light Brown Ceramic Oval Large Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Ovas Large Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 38 x D 10 x H 65 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Cera...
Ceramic
Unique Hollow Rectangular Shape, Light Brown Ceramic Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Utar Medium Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 35 x D 10 x H 28 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Cer...
Ceramic
Organic Ancient Shape, Plain Beige Ceramic Big Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Umo Large Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 50 x D 10 x H 62 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Ceram...
Ceramic
Organic Form, Sculpted Dark Terracotta Ceramic Medium Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Uble Medium Vase by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: W 38 x D 10 x H 42 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Cer...
Ceramic
Construction Vase No. 3 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri
Located in Geneve, CH
Construction Vase No. 3 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri Dimensions: D 40,6 x W 45,7 x H 38,1 cm. Materials: Ceramic, metal wire, foam, and epoxy resin.
Metal
Construction Vase No. 2 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri
Located in Geneve, CH
Construction Vase No. 2 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri Dimensions: D 40,6 x W 45,7 x H 38,1 cm. Materials: Ceramic, metal wire, foam, and epoxy resin.
Metal
Construction Vase No. 1 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri
Located in Geneve, CH
Construction Vase No. 1 in Ceramic, Metal Wire, Foam & Resin by Joseph Algieri Dimensions: D 40,6 x W 45,7 x H 38,1 cm. Materials: Ceramic, metal wire, foam, and epoxy resin.
Metal
Contemporary High Neck, Plain Dark Brown Ceramic Vase by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Small Arka by Willem Van Hooff Dimensions: D25 x H38 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material: Glazed Ceramics Core is ...
Ceramic
Black Ceramic Perpetual Face Vase in the Style of Piero Fornasetti by TMS 2005
By Piero Fornasetti, TMS
Located in Troy, MI
Multi face ceramic vase in black by TMS Inc Vitruvian Collection 2005 Perpetual face design in the style of Piero Fornasetti Signed and dated to lower edge 8 inch diameter 9.5 inc...
Ceramic
$2,316Sale Price|20% Off
1990s Ceramic Vase Deborah Groover Voo Doo Jazz Maximalist Nude Scene Sculpture
Located in Hyattsville, MD
A colorful panel vase with nude scene, very large, tabletop piece by Deborah Groover from the 1990s. Nice shallow depth for placement on a narrow entryway/foyer table. No apparent ha...
Ceramic
Set of 2 Geometric Ceramic KYO Star Vases in White by Mazo Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 2 Geometric Ceramic KYO Star Vases in White by Mazo Design Dimensions: D 29 x H 26 cm / D 19.5 x H 21.5 cm Materials: Glazed Ceramic. Both functional and sculptural, the new ...
Ceramic
Rimini Blue Ceramic Pitcher Vase by A. Londi and F. Montelupo for Bitossi
By Bitossi, Flavia Montelupo, Aldo Londi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
This is a Rimini blue vase from the 1970s. Made in Italy. It was designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Flavia Montelupo, also known as Bitossi. Bitossi was founded in 1921 in Montel...
Ceramic
Vintage Jaru Metallic Gold Sculptural Swirl Vase, Hollywood Regency Ceramic Art
By Jaru
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
A striking vintage sculptural vase by , executed in a dramatic metallic gold glaze with deeply molded spiral ribbing throughout. This exceptional piece embodies the glamour and bold ...
Pottery
Miniature Mid-Century Ceramic High Glaze Bottle Neck Vase Studio Pot by Sari
By Gertrud and Otto Natzler
Located in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Fine miniature hand-thrown, high-glaze ceramic pot signed Sari. The piece is in excellent condition, with no chips or repairs. It has a natural firing crack on the bottom.
Ceramic, Pottery
Organic Shape, Plain Dark Brown Ceramic Sculpture Vase with by Willem Van Hooff
Located in Geneve, CH
Maji Vase by Willem Van Hooff Core Vessel Series Dimensions: W 31 x D 10 x H 49 cm (Dimensions may vary as pieces are hand-made and might present slight variations in sizes) Material...
Ceramic, Earthenware
Rimini Blue Ceramic Vase by Aldo Londi for Bitossi and Italica Ars, Italy 1970s
By Aldo Londi, Italica Ars, Bitossi
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
This is a Rimini blue vase from the 1970s. It was designed by Aldo Londi and produced by Flavia Montelupo, also known as Bitossi, for Ars Italica. Bitossi was founded in 1921 in Mon...
Ceramic
Mohammed Ahmed Abdalla Abbaro pottery /ceramic vase. Mo Abbaro. Sudan
By Mohammed Abdalla
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a very interesting vase with a what appears to be a glass glaze on the top blue. This vase looks like double cone or even like mushroom shape. Or vase with skirt . This vase ...
Pottery
Grenat Foncé Vase VII in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Grenat Foncé Vase VII in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: Ø 20 x H 29 cm. Materials: Clay with deep burgundy glaze. Dimensions may vary. Please...
Clay
Grenat Foncé Vase II in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio
Located in Geneve, CH
Grenat Foncé Vase II in Deep Burgundy Glazed Ceramic by Gazar Studio Unique Piece Dimensions: Ø 21 x H 24 cm. Materials: Clay with deep burgundy glaze. Dimensions may vary. Please ...
Clay
Set of 3 Large Geometric Ceramic KYO Star Vases in White by Mazo Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Set of 3 Large Geometric Ceramic KYO Star Vases in White by Mazo Design Dimensions: D 12 x H 23.5 cm Materials: glazed ceramic. Both functional and sculptural, the new collection f...
Other
Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s. The characteristics of vintage postmodern furniture and other postmodern objects and decor for the home included loud-patterned, usually plastic surfaces; strange proportions, vibrant colors and weird angles; and a vague-at-best relationship between form and function.
ORIGINS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
POSTMODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE POSTMODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
Critics derided postmodern design as a grandstanding bid for attention and nothing of consequence. Decades later, the fact that postmodernism still has the power to provoke thoughts, along with other reactions, proves they were not entirely correct.
Postmodern design began as an architectural critique. Starting in the 1960s, a small cadre of mainly American architects began to argue that modernism, once high-minded and even noble in its goals, had become stale, stagnant and blandly corporate. Later, in Milan, a cohort of creators led by Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini — a onetime mentor to Sottsass and a key figure in the Italian Radical movement — brought the discussion to bear on design.
Sottsass, an industrial designer, philosopher and provocateur, gathered a core group of young designers into a collective in 1980 they called Memphis. Members of the Memphis Group, which would come to include Martine Bedin, Michael Graves, Marco Zanini, Shiro Kuramata, Michele de Lucchi and Matteo Thun, saw design as a means of communication, and they wanted it to shout. That it did: The first Memphis collection appeared in 1981 in Milan and broke all the modernist taboos, embracing irony, kitsch, wild ornamentation and bad taste.
Memphis works remain icons of postmodernism: the Sottsass Casablanca bookcase, with its leopard-print plastic veneer; de Lucchi’s First chair, which has been described as having the look of an electronics component; Martine Bedin’s Super lamp: a pull-toy puppy on a power-cord leash. Even though it preceded the Memphis Group’s formal launch, Sottsass’s iconic Ultrafragola mirror — in its conspicuously curved plastic shell with radical pops of pink neon — proves striking in any space and embodies many of the collective’s postmodern ideals.
After the initial Memphis show caused an uproar, the postmodern movement within furniture and interior design quickly took off in America. (Memphis fell out of fashion when the Reagan era gave way to cool 1990’s minimalism.) The architect Robert Venturi had by then already begun a series of plywood chairs for Knoll Inc., with beefy, exaggerated silhouettes of traditional styles such as Queen Anne and Chippendale. In 1982, the new firm Swid Powell enlisted a group of top American architects, including Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Stanley Tigerman and Venturi to create postmodern tableware in silver, ceramic and glass.
On 1stDibs, the vintage postmodern furniture collection includes chairs, coffee tables, sofas, decorative objects, table lamps and more.
Whether it’s a Chinese Han dynasty glazed ceramic wine vessel, a work of Murano glass or a hand-painted Scandinavian modern stoneware piece, a fine vase brings a piece of history into your space as much as it adds a sophisticated dynamic.
Like sculptures or paintings, antique and vintage vases are considered works of fine art. Once offered as tributes to ancient rulers, vases continue to be gifted to heads of state today. Over time, decorative porcelain vases have become family heirlooms to be displayed prominently in our homes — loved pieces treasured from generation to generation.
The functional value of vases is well known. They were traditionally utilized as vessels for carrying dry goods or liquids, so some have handles and feature an opening at the top (where they flare back out). While artists have explored wildly sculptural alternatives over time, the most conventional vase shape is characterized by a bulbous base and a body with shoulders where the form curves inward.
Owing to their intrinsic functionality, vases are quite possibly versatile in ways few other art forms can match. They’re typically taller than they are wide. Some have a neck that offers height and is ideal for the stems of cut flowers. To pair with your mid-century modern decor, the right vase will be an elegant receptacle for leafy snake plants on your teak dining table, or, in the case of welcoming guests on your doorstep, a large ceramic floor vase for long tree branches or sticks — perhaps one crafted in the Art Nouveau style — works wonders.
Interior designers include vases of every type, size and style in their projects — be the canvas indoors or outdoors — often introducing a splash of color and a range of textures to an entryway or merely calling attention to nature’s asymmetries by bringing more organically shaped decorative objects into a home.
On 1stDibs, you can browse our collection of vases by material, including ceramic, glass, porcelain and more. Sizes range from tiny bud vases to massive statement pieces and every size in between.