Modern Abstract Sculptures
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Polish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Iron
1960s Greek Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
Mid-20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1990s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Marble
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
1970s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
1990s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Silver Plate, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
1990s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Iron
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass
1960s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin