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1940s Abstract Sculptures

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Period: 1940s
Charles and Ray Eames Molded Plywood Leg Splint for Evans in Original Wrapper
Located in Chicago, IL
These leg splints were designed by Charles and Ray Eames and produced for the United States Navy by the Evans Products Company, molded plywood division. They're still in their origin...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Plywood

Monumental Harry Bertoia Silver Necklace, Bertoia Catalogue Raisonne D.JE.49
Located in Bloomfield Hills, MI
WEARABLE ART AN IMPORTANT DESIGN FOR A NECKLACE The necklace is unique and extraordinary. Because of its specific design elements it lays beautifully and comfortably on any body structure. This piece comes from a private collection. Provenance will accompany the piece. It has been authenticated by Val Bertoia and is listed in the Harry Bertoia Foundation Catalogue Raisonne # D.JE.49 having been authenticated as a Harry Bertoia piece. REPLY FROM CHRISTIE'S: "Dear Charles, thank you for contacting Christie's. I am absolutely stunned to see the necklace by Harry Bertoia you have submitted for feedback from us, and I would love to speak with you about the work at your earliest convenience. I am a great fan and a known expert in the work of Harry Bertoia, and I have handled over 600 of his sculptures, jewelry and art over the last 22 years. I have never seen a better piece of his jewelry, and it stands as one of the greatest objects in any category that he made. Michael Jefferson Senior Vice President International Senior Specialist Design" The following is from Beverly H. Twitchell, PhD, author of Bertoia: The Metalworker, London: Phaidon, 2019. She provides a very informative critique of Bertoia and his jewelry. Wearable Art an Important Design for a Necklace “Before Harry Bertoia enrolled at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1937 he had already mastered traditional jewelers’ techniques, but his engagement with Modernism led him to invent and use more direct methods. Instead of precious metals and gems, Bertoia made jewelry that appealed through its design, craftsmanship and the nature of its materials. That approach would make Bertoia a direct predecessor of the American Studio Crafts movement. So complex and cumulative are human perception and memory that we often do not know from where our own ideas come and without firm evidence, it is impossible to think we can establish the origins of an artist’s ideas. While his jewelry is entirely modern, chokers with multiple small pendants had come from ancient Mediterranean cultures: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Italy, even from Europe and America at the turn of the last century. Did Bertoia see works in books, journals or at the Detroit Institute of Arts that resonated with him or did he invent this on his own, as he would so many other forms? Bertoia found inspiration in nature from an early age on a small farm in Italy and later in Cranbrook’s woods, on the beaches of southern California and in the fields near his home in eastern Pennsylvania where he lived after 1950. The fluidity and motion of the his jewelry characterize much of his art. In that spirit, too, he made jewelry that suited human anatomy and was animated by its wearer’s movement. Bertoia had the instincts of an engineer, as the intricacy of the present lot’s clasp and overall construction of the jewelry demonstrates. Large jewelry by Bertoia is very rare. A delight to the eye, and like all of Bertoia’s work it is timeless. Bertoia had the instincts of an engineer, as the intricacy of the present lot's clasp and the overall construction of this piece demonstrate. Closed, the necklace sits on a table in a surprisingly conical shape, but it is so flexible that it conforms to its wearer from her neck nearly to her shoulders. Each handmade section is riveted to its neighbors, allowing it to adjust to the body while the pendants curve in many directions: one fits the left clavicle so precisely that Bertoia likely tried it on Brigitta Valentiner, who became his wife in 1943. Other pendants face toward or away from each other, bending up or down. Each element has been hammered into multiple curves and worked in Bertoia’s hands. Large jewelry by Bertoia is very rare. A delight to the eye, this necklace no doubt caused a sensation in its day as it might at the 2022 Met Ball in ours, for like all of Harry Bertoia’s work, it is timeless.” Harry Bertoia (1915 – 1978) was an Italian-born American artist, jewelry creator and modern furniture designer. He was born in San Lorenzo d...
Category

American Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Sterling Silver

Bulldog Cigar Ashtray, 1940, Chicago. Usa
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Sign: Central Die Casting & Mfg Co. Chicago- Usa We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at you...
Category

American Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Chrome

Futurist sculpture in gilt metal in the Franz Hagenauer style
Located in Montelabbate, PU
The sculpture is in gilded brass dating back to around 1930/40, it is not signed. The Castolin weld and the resulting patina especially in the weld and internally confirm the period....
Category

Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Metal, Gold Leaf

Vintage Charm: Set of 36 Antique Wooden Measuring Tapes with Boxes, Circa 1940
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Discover vintage allure with this remarkable set of 36 antique wooden measuring tapes, complete with their original boxes, dating back to circa 1940. Each piece in this collection transports you to a bygone era, evoking the nostalgia of craftsmanship and utility. The measurements of each box are 25 cm in length, 10 cm in width, and 7 cm in height, providing a glimpse into the past with their compact yet functional dimensions. Preserved within their original boxes, these measuring tapes have stood the test of time, capturing the essence of their era. The set's completeness and vintage appeal are a testament to their enduring value and rarity. Indulge in the charm of these antique measuring tapes...
Category

Spanish Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France, circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Petite Apple Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Andrew Szoeke Monogram "G" Cube or Paperweight
Located in Atlanta, GA
Andrew Szoeke Monogram "G" Cube or Paperweight, unsigned, American, circa 1940s. Szoeke is considered to be one of the masters of handmade inlaid woodwork and furniture, and he produ...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Stunning Pair of Vintage Pineapple Shaped Finial Sculptures
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Timeless pineapple motife cast cement finials or acorns having marvelous aged and verdigris patina. The imperfections where some of the cement has chipp...
Category

American Neoclassical Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Cement

Large Primitive Wood Mold
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Extra large Primitive wood mold with fantastic patina Different shapes available - priced separately but wonderful as a collection France circa 1940s.
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Pair of White Plaster Lamps in the Manner of Serge Roche
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of sculptural white plaster foliate lamps, in the manner of Serge Roche, France, circa 1940s. They have been rewired for US usage and are ready to use.
Category

French Hollywood Regency Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Antique Tribal Dance Shield, Tutsi, Rwanda
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Tutsi Ceremonial dance shield. Rwanda-Burundi Second quarter, 20th century. Wood, natural pigment Measures: 20” long x 7 1/4” wide x 4” deep (50.5 x 18 x 10 cm). Provenance: Col...
Category

Rwandan Tribal Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Vintage Mid-Century Globe Meat Slicer C1940 Enameled Iron & Stainless
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous and powerful, 1/4hp GM Delco motor. Globe deli meat slicer from the forties. Super quiet motor with a new cord and switch. In excellent vintage co...
Category

American Industrial Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel, Enamel, Iron, Chrome, Steel

Hector Aguilar Copper Brass Scroll Candelabra, Taxco Mexico, Early 1940
Located in Buffalo, NY
Wonderful matched pair, This is one of the most iconic items created by Hector Aguilar in his Taller Borda in the early 1940s. It is featured in Silver Masters of Mexico by Penny Morrill on page 120. She describes the candelabra thusly: “The eye follows the tumbling spirals as though they were lines in relief. Balance and movement coexist as the spirals push upward toward the light of the candles”. What a well-crafted description of this beauty! Made primarily of copper with brass accents, the candelabra's are signed on the base with a conjoined HA on a recessed circle, i It measures 10 ¼ inches long, 6 ½ inches tall, and 2 ¼ inches wide. I have left this stunner unpolished, as many people prefer to retain the rich decades-old patina. – exceptionally rare and hard to find – a work of art by one of the mid century metal Masters...
Category

Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Silver, Brass, Copper

Vase in Crystal 1985, Sign: Crystal Querandi Yugendstil 0294/85
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Sign: Crystal Querandi Yugendstil 0294/85 We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposa...
Category

Argentine Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Crystal

French Gilt Bronze Box Coffre Line Vautrin
Located in Atlanta, GA
A lovely cast bronze powder box (poudrier) by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1950-1960s. The box features a geometrically grid top surface with a four by ...
Category

French Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Harry Bertoia Study for Wire Form, Rare / Experimental 1949
Located in Buffalo, NY
Provenance: Wright Modernist 20th Century, auction 12/7/2003, Bertoia worked with the Eames' in California in the late 1940s to develop their wire form chairs. His involvement led...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Italian Designer, Small Handmade Vase / Sculpture, Silver Plate, Italy 1940s
Located in High Point, NC
A small handmade vase or abstract sculpture. Executed in silver-plate in similar style to works by artists such as Lino Sabattini, Gio Ponti or Lucio Fontana.
Category

Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Silver Plate

Sculpture of Family
Located in Chicago, IL
Bronze sculpture of family. Signed. Fantastic patina.
Category

Italian Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Black Anthroposophical Ceramic Sculpture, France 1940s
Located in London, GB
This abstract sculptural work resembles an anthroposophic figure. The disjointed ceramic sculpture has a rough surface and is finished in black glaze, with small peaks of the white u...
Category

French Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Bronze Brooch by Line Vautrin
Located in Atlanta, GA
A lovely brooch in gilt cast bronze made by French Parisian art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) circa 1940s. The brooch belongs to a collection called "The moon and the starts in th...
Category

French Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Unusual Sculptural Iron Garden Lounge Chair Manner of Jean-Charles Moreux
Located in Buffalo, NY
Unusual sculptural iron garden lounge chair manner of Jean-Charles Moreux, wonderful design, whimsical sculpture! welded iron frame, metal sling seat. Hand delivery avail to New York...
Category

French Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Iron

French Bronze Belt Buckle Line Vautrin
Located in Atlanta, GA
A cast bronze two-piece bronze buckle with hook and loop verso by French art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997). The sculptural pieces are In a rare Inca motif, with triangular indenta...
Category

French Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Abstract Art Deco Figural Sculpture Attributed to Rodden
By Rodden
Located in New York, NY
Great Art Deco copper figural sculpture mounted on to a brass base. Fun and whimsical she is part of a collection of Art Deco sculptures I acquired where...
Category

German Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Brass, Copper

Art Deco Peter Lupori Increase Multiply Fill Earth 1948 Ceramic Table Sculpture
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a stunning, ceramic sculpture titled "Increase and Multiply and Fill the Earth," by American artist Peter Lupori. 23" h x 16" w x 6" d. In good condition with slight damage. The sculpture was awarded a prize in the 39th Associated Artists of Pittsburg Annual exhibit in 1949. In good vintage condition. Peter John Lupori was born on December 12, 1918, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1926-27, Lupori attended school in Florence, Italy. Following graduation from high school in Pittsburgh, Lupori studied art with John Donald and William Reed...
Category

Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Hand Carved Vintage Hat Mold Made of Ashwood from Müller, Zürich, Switzerland
Located in Stockholm, SE
Hand carved vintage hat mold, from the hat-making company Carl Müller in Zürich. Pretty as a picture and decorative as a sculpture. Could be placed a...
Category

Swiss Folk Art Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ash

Monumental Glass and Iron Deco/ Victorian Fantasy Chandelier / Pendant Lighting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Monumental oversized ...glass and iron deco/ Victorian fantasy chandelier / pendant lighting, Salvaged from theater, outrageous fantasy chandelier, featur...
Category

American Hollywood Regency Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Iron

1940s OREOL L'Oreal Permanente DeLuxe Advertising Art Deco Hairstyle Figure
Located in Brescia, IT
OREOL _ Perm Hairstyle Rare advertising figure Plaster compound Original L'Oreal, 1940 Very good condition Slight restoration on the right bac...
Category

French Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Chinese Burled Hardwood Scholar Rock, Republic Period, 20th Century
Located in Austin, TX
An unusual and striking Chinese scholar rock, gongshi, of polished and lacquered burled hardwood, set into a hardwood base, mid-20th century. The hardwood scholar "stone" meant to i...
Category

Chinese Qing Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Hardwood, Burl

Classic First Year Production Eames LCW, Evans Label 5 2 5 Screw Configuration
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of the nicest examples I ve owned in quite a while, stunning figured birch plywood, circa early 1946-1947, L C W (Lounge chair wood) designed by Charles and Ray Eames, Manufactur...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Birch, Plywood

Pair Vintage World War ii Bomber Plane Balloon Tires Prop Accent Sculptures Red
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Strewn some midcentury red and black throughout your interior, they are holding air, great props! Measures: D 27 x D 7 inches.  
Category

German Industrial Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Aluminum

Lamp Table Sculpture Pine Abstract Figurative Organic Henry Moore High
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
A Henry Moore Inspired, pine, figurative, sculpture upcycled into a 17” high, table lamp - Unusual statement and conversation piece; injecting modernism and organic form and textu...
Category

English Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Pine

Bronze Brooch by Line Vautrin
Located in Atlanta, GA
A gilt bronze brooch by French art jewelry designer Line Vautrin (1913-1997) Untitled circa late 1940s. The brooch depicts a horn with twisted texture wrapped with articulated chains. No signature found. Provenance: From a former Collection of a Line Vautrin jewelry...
Category

French Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Custom Tree Form Lamp by Frances Elkins
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This is a custom tree from floor lamp by Frances Elkins from the estate of Elkin's daughter, Katherine Elkins Boyd. This whimsical lamp is carved in wood and finished in Gesso. It is...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Gesso, Wood

Clara Shainess 1940s Carved Wood Sculpture
By Clara Shainess
Located in New York, NY
An African School carved wood sculpture made in the 1940s (circa 1940) by U.S. artist Clara Shainess and mounted on a painted wooden base. Good condition, some age cracks and chips; ...
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Emerson Woelffer Bonze Sculpture, Abstract Face, Signed, Dated, Numbered
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nice modern abstract Face, by the well known artist, Emerson Woelffer. Signed, numbered 1/4 and dated 1947.
Category

American Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Wood Cubist Sculpture by Leo Russell
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Wood sculpture by artist Leo Russell. Chicago born artist who worked mostly in painting and silkscreen did a series of wood sculptures in the 1940s. Pieces were acquired by the Gugge...
Category

American Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Modernist Wooden Sculpture of a Woman, Attributed to Albert Wein
By Albert W. Wein
Located in New York, NY
Sculpture of a standing female figure, attributed to American sculptor Albert Wein (b.1915 - d.1991), in natural wood grain. The figure stands in a languid...
Category

American Art Deco Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Early Bruno Mathsson Lounge Chair Model Pernilla 3, Karl Mathsson, Sweden
Located in Buffalo, NY
Extremely rare and important Pernilla 3 chaise lounge designed by Bruno Mathsson made by Karl Mathsson ,,Varnamo .Sweden.. Wonderful beech wood frame in its ...
Category

Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Canvas, Beech

Harry Bertoia Patinated Silver Brooch with Coral and Ebony, USA 1943
Located in New York, NY
An unusual piece of Bertoia's jewelry with a figurative quality. This brooch was included in an exhibit, "In Nature's Embrace: The World of Harry Bertoia" at the Reading Public Museu...
Category

American Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Coral, Silver

Harry Bertoia Hand-Forged Silver, Ebony and Silver Wire Pendant, USA 1942
Located in New York, NY
This early wire wrapped pendant was likely made by Harry Bertoia while he was at Cranbrook.
Category

American Mid-Century Modern Vintage 1940s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Silver

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