Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale, in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century designers caught the spirit.
Classically-oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb — who designed holistic groups of sleek, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bamboo
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Foam
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
1970s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Copper
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Iron
1950s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Brass, Chrome
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1950s Finnish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Crystal
1990s Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Stainless Steel, Brass
1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Earthenware
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
1970s Finnish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
Late 20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Murano Glass
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Copper
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware, Ceramic, Clay
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Silver Leaf
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze