Skip to main content

Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Finnish, 1910-1961

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.

to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
392
125
118
100
83
1
Artist: Eero Saarinen
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 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Related Items
Hormiga con Hoja
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gerardo Fernandez South American Artist set of 10 bronze stick bugs with iron antennas. Some bugs have circles on their feet in order to make an art ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Hormiga con Hoja
$1,720
H 17.72 in W 7.87 in D 9.84 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...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Looking Into the Past
Located in Atlanta, GA
For sculptor/ painter/ photographer Roberto Santo, art became a way of life when, at age16, he embarked upon an apprenticeship with Bob Peak, the celebra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Looking Into the Past
Looking Into the Past
$156,000
H 59.06 in W 47.25 in D 59.06 in
Cavallo
Located in Atlanta, GA
Nicola Domenici was born in 1969 in Viareggio (Lucca). After the University and several experiences in the fields of jewellery and goldsmithery, he dec...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Cavallo
$18,720
H 27.95 in W 18.5 in D 6.3 in
Ouvrir les Frontières pour Mr. Olingou
Located in Atlanta, GA
The universal theme of travel has always inspired Bruno Catalano. Since he started to knead clay, hundreds of “Travellers” went out of his feverish hand...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

La Fontaine
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born in Melun in 1957, Jager is a French sculptor and painter. Passionate about equitation, he is famous for making representations of horses in plaster and bronze in all their forms. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Dijon and is currently living in France. Rather than just being an artist, he describes himself as a dreamer: unpredictable and passionate. For Frédéric JAGER, beauty is a must. His style, classic, figurative, is stunning in this world of contemporary art. Bringing bronze to life, his works always capture the energy and beauty of the horse “Because unlike men, a horse is always beautiful, always strong, always sad.” Several large companies, such as HERMES, NINA RICCI, goldsmith MELLERIO, CHEVIGNON, SOCIETE GENERALE, HORSE WOOD, watches PEQUIGNET, SWEATERIE, have called upon him for sculptures, decorative objects, advertising works, or trophies for the races. He has had numerous solo exhibitions, and has also participated in a myraid of art fairs such as the ‘Salon International de Saumur’, the Animal Sculpture Biennale of Rambouillet, the Derby Horse in Art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

La Fontaine
$390,000
H 82.68 in W 90.55 in D 43.31 in
Check with L, 2006
Located in Atlanta, GA
For sculptor/ painter/ photographer Roberto Santo, art became a way of life when, at age16, he embarked upon an apprenticeship with Bob Peak, the celebra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Check with L, 2006
Check with L, 2006
$110,500
H 83.01 in W 38.01 in D 28.01 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...
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Concrete, Steel

Reliquia: Omaggio a Simone Martini
By Hugo Rivas
Located in Atlanta, GA
“Making sculpture is a very complex matter. A word added to a form, ultimately helping to better define it. And ultimately helping to understand the whole.” Ugo Riva is probably the...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Reliquia: Omaggio a Simone Martini
$9,360
H 23.23 in W 7.87 in D 5.51 in
Hormiga n°2 con cereza
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gerardo Fernandez South American Artist set of 10 bronze stick bugs with iron antennas. Some bugs have circles on their feet in order to make an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Hormiga n°2 con cereza
$1,720
H 17.72 in W 7.87 in D 9.84 in
Eté
By Hugo Rivas
Located in Atlanta, GA
“Making sculpture is a very complex matter. A word added to a form, ultimately helping to better define it. And ultimately helping to understand the whole.” Ugo Riva is probably the...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Eté
$46,800
H 23.62 in W 15.75 in D 7.09 in
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Located in Atlanta, GA
With each feather, Alan Derrick has moved his art form into new expressions. He continues to experiment with each stage of the process, producing surprisi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Eero Saarinen figurative sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Eero Saarinen figurative sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Eero Saarinen in metal and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Eero Saarinen figurative sculptures, so small editions measuring 26 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Constantin Antonovici, Mauro Corda, and Anthony Quinn. Eero Saarinen figurative sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $26,000 and tops out at $26,000, while the average work can sell for $26,000.
Questions About Eero Saarinen Figurative Sculptures
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
    Eero Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and designer and 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

    Saarinen’s designs for Knoll, such as the Womb chair, Tulip chair and Pedestal table, are acclaimed all over the world.

    Find a selection of vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Eero Saarinen was originally from Finland. He was born in Kirkkonummi in 1910. In 1923, his family moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The architect and designer lived in the U.S. for much of the remainder of his life. He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1991. Shop a selection of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
    No, Eero Saarinen was not a postmodernist. The work of the Finnish-American architect and furniture designer is primarily associated with modernism. His best known designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, a furniture brand and a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.

    Postmodern design was a short-lived movement that manifested itself chiefly in Italy and the United States in the early 1980s (Saarinen died in 1961).

    Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
    Eero Saarinen's father was Eliel Saarinen, a well-known Finnish-American architect. In 1923, he moved Eero and the rest of his family from their native Finland to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he and his wife Loja taught at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Eliel was named president at Cranbook in 1932.

    Find a selection of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024
    Eero Saarinen is famous for his work as a designer and architect. He was a prime mover in the introduction of modernism into the American mainstream. Saarinen designed the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and many other structures. As a furniture designer, he is best known for his Grasshopper chair, Tulip chair and Womb lounge chair and ottoman. Find a collection of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
    To pronounce Eero Saarinen, say "EH-row SAH-ruh-nuhn." The architect and designer was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland, in 1910 but was raised in Michigan in the United States. Saarinen is known for his sculptural architecture projects as well as the innovative modernist furniture he designed for Knoll.

    Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 29, 2024
    Eero Saarinen designed many pieces of furniture as well as acclaimed buildings and monuments during his lifetime. Saarinen created the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy airport, the Gateway Arch in Missouri, and Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Some of Saarinen’s most famous furniture designs include the Pedestal table, the Womb chair and the Tulip chair.

    Shop a collection of vintage Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    An Eero Saarinen table is 28.25” high. It comes in a variety of widths, with a 42” round table seating 4 to 5 people. You can shop a selection of Eero Saarinen designs from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Eero Saarinen is a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer that worked with a variety of mediums, including steel, glass and concrete. Eero Saarinen is also credited with the creation of some notable styles of furniture, including the Tulip chair. Browse a variety of Eero Saarinen designed furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Eero Saarinen used a variety of materials in his furniture designs. Some of his designs feature hardwood frames, but he didn't work in wood exclusively. His Tulip chair consists of a fiberglass seat mounted on a cast aluminum base. You'll find a range of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2024
    Eero Saarinen is considered a modern architect for a number of reasons. An innovative merging of the International Style and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright can be found in his acclaimed building projects and monuments. He worked with steel and concrete, just as his modernist peers had, and the neo-futuristic forms that characterize his architecture are those commonly associated with modernism.

    Through his work as an architect and designer, 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, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

    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.

    Like all modernist designers of the mid-century era, Saarinen was interested in the new technology and new and venturesome applications for materials that became widely available for the production of domestic goods in the postwar era. Thanks to Florence Knoll, a pioneering designer in her own right, his famous designs for seating and tables, created during the 1940s and 1950s, were manufactured by Knoll, which was a prominent influence in the rise of modern design in the United States.

    Find vintage Eero Saarinen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2024
    The concept of Eero Saarinen's work was to convey expressive statements through buildings and furniture. The keynotes of his modern designs were simplicity, strength and grace. The organic, curvilinear forms seen in Saarinen's furniture and his best-known structures, like the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, went on to influence generations of architects and designers. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Eero Saarinen furniture.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Eero Saarinen moved the design firm started by his father from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to Hamden, Connecticut, in1961, but no authoritative sources state why. Most likely, he had a desire to be closer to the campus of Yale University. Saarinen graduated from the post-secondary institution in 1934 and designed buildings on the campus. Find a range of Eero Saarinen furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Whether you can replace Eero Saarinen chair legs depends on the chair. You can most easily swap out the legs on pieces that feature wooden dowels like the Lilac Organic. You will likely find it more difficult to replace legs on chairs that include metal bases like the Executive arm chair or pedestals like the Tulip. You'll find a collection of Eero Saarinen chairs on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 7, 2024
    Eero Saarinen believed that the architect's role was to create structures that enhance daily life and inspire people to consider new possibilities. He thought that buildings should suit their intended purpose well and provide comfortable accommodations while at the same time being aesthetically appealing. Some of his best-known structures include the gull-winged TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Dulles International Airport in Virginia and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of Eero Saarinen furniture.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
    The history of Eero Saarinen's Womb Chair dates back to the late 1940s. It was then that designer and entrepreneur Florence Knoll challenged her friend, Eero Saarinen, to create the most comfortable chair ever made. To succeed at the task, Saarinen sought to evoke what he imagined was the comfortable, secure feeling of being in the womb and set out to design the now iconic chair. Production of the Womb chair began in 1948, and it didn't take long for the seat to become a cultural phenomenon. In the decade following its release, it appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, a New Yorker magazine cartoon and a Norman Rockwell painting on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. Today, Knoll offers the seat in 15 upholstery options, and when Saarinen's famous TWA terminal reopened as a hotel in 2019, Womb chairs were featured prominently in the guest rooms. Explore a collection of Eero Saarinen Womb chairs on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Eero Saarinen’s famed pedestal chairs, although streamlined in appearance, are crafted with a variety of materials from aluminum and molded fiberglass to the plastic-bonded finish. You can shop a selection of Eero Saarinen pieces from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Historians classify Eero Saarinen's St. Louis Gateway Arch as modern architecture. This is due largely to the simple curving shape of the arch and its perfect symmetry. In addition, the arch reflects Neo-futurism, a forward-looking movement that frequently incorporated steel, concrete and glass. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Eero Saarinen furniture designs.

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed