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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Fabric
2010s Ukrainian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Korean Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century Chinese Antique Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Jade
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s German Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Leather, Nutwood, Oak
2010s South African Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
2010s South Korean Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
1950s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood, Rosewood, Reclaimed Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Hardwood
2010s Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass, Other
2010s Ukrainian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas
19th Century Chinese Antique Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paint
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s Ukrainian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
20th Century Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
2010s Ukrainian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas, Acrylic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Copper
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ash
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Concrete
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Other
2010s Peruvian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass, Other