Modern Figurative 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
1980s Asian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Nickel
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1990s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Hardwood
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
Late 20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Hardwood, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta