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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s South Korean Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
2010s Moroccan Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Leather
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
Late 20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Upholstery
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Down, Linen, Silk
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Mohair, Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass, Enamel
20th Century Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass
2010s European Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s German Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ash
2010s Persian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
2010s Moroccan Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Leather
1990s French Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Silk
1980s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass, Paper
20th Century Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Glass, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Copper
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
20th Century English Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ash
1980s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paint, Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
1980s American Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Moroccan Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Leather
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
2010s American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Linen
2010s Moroccan Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Leather
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Olive
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood, Paper
2010s Thai Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood