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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
1970s Israeli Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Persian Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century Philippine Modern Asian Art and Furniture
2010s French Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
20th Century Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass, Copper
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
Early 2000s Korean Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Pine, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Plastic, Acrylic
1990s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
1960s Chinese Vintage Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Pine, Oak
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Nickel
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Gold
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Gold
20th Century Japanese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Gold
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
2010s Chinese Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Oak, Pine
19th Century Chinese Antique Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Paint
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Asian Art and Furniture
Nickel