Modern Paintings and Screens
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Steel
2010s American Modern Paintings and Screens
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Oak, Pine
2010s Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Bronze
Early 20th Century Modern Paintings and Screens
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Wood, Fabric
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Pine, Oak
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
1960s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Paint
Late 20th Century Modern Paintings and Screens
Wood, Paint
1960s American Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
1980s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Enamel, Copper
1980s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Enamel, Copper
1980s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Enamel, Copper
1980s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Copper, Enamel
1980s Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Copper, Enamel
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Acrylic, Paint
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Wood, Paper
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Acrylic, Paint
1970s Israeli Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Asian Modern Paintings and Screens
Wood
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Acrylic, Paint
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Paint
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Acrylic, Paint
Early 2000s Balinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Paintings and Screens
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings and Screens
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Crystal, Brass, Iron
20th Century American Modern Paintings and Screens
Plastic, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Brass, Other
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Other, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Paintings and Screens
Other
1970s European Vintage Modern Paintings and Screens
Wood
20th Century Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Glass
20th Century Chinese Modern Paintings and Screens
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
2010s American Modern Paintings and Screens
Bronze
2010s French Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
2010s Panamanian Modern Paintings and Screens
Metal
2010s Japanese Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Paintings and Screens
Linen