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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Birch, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Art
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Art
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Plastic, Oak
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Latex, Paint
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Agate, Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Onyx, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paint, Canvas
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
1990s Danish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
20th Century English Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Fabric, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Plastic, Mylar
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Velvet
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Decorative Art
Chrome
1930s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Enamel
2010s Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Wool, Thread, Yarn
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Brass, Steel
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Nickel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Decorative Art
Wool
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Brass, Bronze, Copper, Stainless Steel, Chrome, Nickel
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood, Lacquer, Paper