Modern Decorative 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s European Modern Decorative Art
Leather
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Sheet Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Sheet Metal
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
Mid-20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Linen, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Paint
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Decorative Art
Wood
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Art
Metal
20th Century English Modern Decorative Art
Silver Leaf
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Marble
1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Paint
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Linen, Wood, Paper
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Plexiglass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Crystal
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Cotton, Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
Early 2000s Vietnamese Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Decorative Art
Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Sheet Metal
1970s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paint
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Silk, Polyester
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Romanian Modern Decorative Art
Cast Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Decorative Art
Paint
2010s European Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paint
2010s Danish Modern Decorative Art
Foam
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Plastic