Through his work as an architect and designer, Eero Saarinen was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Particularly affecting were the organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen’s furniture and his best-known structures: the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport in New York (opened 1962), Dulles International Airport in Virginia (1962) and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri (1965).
Saarinen had a peerless modernist pedigree. His father, Eliel Saarinen, was an eminent Finnish architect who in 1932 became the first head of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit. The school became synonymous with progressive design and decorative arts in the United States, and while studying there the younger Saarinen met and befriended several luminaries of mid-century modernism, among them Harry Bertoia and Charles and Ray Eames.
At Cranbrook, Saarinen also met Florence Schust Knoll, who, as director of her husband Hans Knoll's eponymous furniture company, would put Saarinen’s best designs into production. These include the Grasshopper chair, designed in 1946 and so named because its angled bentwood frame resembles the insect; the Tulip chair (1957), a flower-shaped fiberglass shell mounted on a cast-aluminum pedestal; and the lushly contoured Womb lounge chair and ottoman (1948). In his furniture as in his architecture, the keynotes of Eero Saarinen’s designs are simplicity, strength and grace.
Find vintage Eero Saarinen tables, chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$26,000
Elliot Eames Saarinen Life Size Cast Aluminum Modern Sculpture titled 'Susie'
By Eero Saarinen
Located in Dallas, TX
The artist, Elliot Eames Saarinen, son of Eero Saarinen, inspired by his grandmother Lilly's tender homage to her mother, Grandma Susie, created this sculpture to honor the timeless ...
Metal
$4,495
H 7.29 in W 18.12 in D 4.93 in
Large Rainbow Sculpture in Porcelain and Platinum, 1974. Edition of 30.
By Otto Piene
Located in Malmö, SE
Otto Piene (German, 1928-2014) Regenbogen (Rainbow), 1974 Medium: Porcelain with painted platinum. Dimensions: 46 × 18,5 x 12,5 cm No. 3 in an edition of 30. Hand-signed and number...
Platinum
$5,500
H 26.5 in W 16 in
Morris Brose "Bronze Bull" Figurative Sculptural Abstract
Located in Detroit, MI
"Bronze Bull" is an exquisite example of Morris Brose's abstract/figurative sculpture. No soft edges on this piece and no invitation to caress, the power, strength and beauty of the bronze are front and center and create awe. "Bronze Bull" is a free-standing piece signed on the base. Morris Brose, Polish/American was born in Wyszkow, Poland. He became a sculptor and instructor of sculpture at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Wayne State University and Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski...
Bronze
$6,500
H 18 in W 14 in D 6 in
"Three Bags Full" Silver-colored bronze depiction of a sheep.
By Wayne Salge
Located in Edgartown, MA
The historic tradition of cast bronze provides a contemporary avenue for the creation of Wayne Salge’s abstracted human and animal figures. Thoroughly modern and distinctly impressio...
Bronze
$2,950
H 24.5 in W 17.5 in D 1 in
“Chinoi Plaque #2” Philip & Kelvin LaVerne Etched Bronze & Pewter Wall Plaque
Located in Yardley, PA
In “Chinoi #2,” Philip and Kelvin LaVerne return to their favorite theme of Chinoiserie reverie, rendering a lyrical vignette from acid etched bronze and pewter. A lone boy sits with...
Bronze, Metal
$4,500
H 14 in W 14 in D 8 in
"A Secret" bronze sculpture of a rounded figure whispering to another
By Monica Wyatt
Located in Edgartown, MA
I first realized my love for visual storytelling when I began producing and directing television shows. Starting with the writer’s script, my palette was everything seen through the ...
Bronze
$2,950
H 24.5 in W 17.5 in D 1 in
“Chinoi Plaque #1” Philip & Kelvin LaVerne Etched Bronze & Pewter Wall Plaque
Located in Yardley, PA
In “Chinoi #1,” Philip and Kelvin LaVerne return to their favorite theme of Chinoiserie reverie, rendering a lyrical vignette from acid etched bronze and pewter. A lone figure ascend...
Metal, Bronze
$2,350
H 7.5 in W 11.5 in D 7 in
"Owl" Bronze Sculpture, Caricature, Rich Dark Brown Surface
Located in Detroit, MI
The bronze sculpture "Owl" is an exaggerated rendition of an owl that emphasizes the bird's most prominant characteristics - a big fluffy round body and large unblinking eyes making it a charicature of the bird. It is very touchable and calls for one to pet its rounded back. Tom Brun, the sculptor and zookeeper, is well-known for his wood, stone, marble, ceramics and ivory sculptures. One of them, a large hippopotamus, carved from walnut wood travelled the world in the State Department collection. 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. This owl, too, seems destined to be caressed. 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...
Bronze
$7,500
H 29 in W 8 in D 9 in
"Zeke & Zach 11/18" Abstract Figurative Bronze sculpture of a man and horse
By Wayne Salge
Located in Edgartown, MA
The historic tradition of cast bronze provides a contemporary avenue for the creation of Wayne Salge’s abstracted human and animal figures. Thoroughly modern and distinctly impressio...
Bronze
Large Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Cheetahs
Located in Rome, IT
Fantastic pair of gilt bronze Cheetahs sculptures . The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.
Bronze
$8,308
H 9.65 in W 14.38 in D 6.3 in
Jument et son poulain, sculpture de chevaux en bronze de René Paris, 20e siècle
Located in Ixelles, BE
Ce très joli bronze est signé "René Paris" et porte le cachet de fondeur Thiébaut Frères (Fumière et Cie Successeurs. Il fut offert à François Sales en 1914, à l’occasion du concours...
Bronze
Joie De Vivre, bronze figurative dance sculpture
Located in New York, NY
This joyous in the round bronze can turn on its base, making for dramatic presentation and enjoyment that is interactive. It is based on the idea of the Three Graces which is often an allegorical subject in sculpture. Wein has done a contemporary feeling interpretation of this classic theme. Piece itself measure 12 1/2 inches and sits on a 3 1/4 inch base and is attached to its base at two points and it is a revolving or rather turning base. The two points on which the toes touch and are secured are striking for how little of the bronze touches the base. It is Fourth in an edition of 13. Albert Wein...
Bronze
$9,500
H 27 in W 26 in D 12 in
Leslie Hawk Sculptural Human Figure & Horse "Person on a Horse"
Located in Detroit, MI
"Person on a Horse" is a concrete, glass and steel structure with horse in mid-stride looking up and forward. The person astride leans forward as in encouragement to the stead or in weariness of the journey, perhaps both. Leslie Hawk...
Concrete, Steel