Modern Contemporary Art
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 2000s American Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paper
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Clay, Organic Material
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
Early 2000s Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paper
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Brass
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art
Glass, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Contemporary Art
Paint
20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s South African Modern Contemporary Art
Wire
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s European Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Malachite, Gold
2010s German Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art
Faience, Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Contemporary Art
Scrap Wood, Paint
20th Century Cuban Modern Contemporary Art
Paint, Paper
20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
Early 20th Century North American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Emirian Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s South African Modern Contemporary Art
Wire
2010s Israeli Modern Contemporary Art
Iron
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas
Late 20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s Unknown Modern Contemporary Art
Mirror, Straw
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic
1960s French Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Contemporary Art
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Masonite, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic