Modern Asian Art and Furniture
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Congolese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Raffia
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Metal
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
1970s Israeli Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas, Paint
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Pine, Oak
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
2010s Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
20th Century English Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Pine, Oak
2010s Australian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Aluminum
2010s European Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s European Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Crystal
2010s European Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Asian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Rock Crystal
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
20th Century English Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass, Enamel
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Mexican Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Fabric
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s British Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Concrete
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Fabric, Oak