Modern Abstract Sculptures
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Rock Crystal
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Malachite, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak
2010s African Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cement
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Jute, Plaster
2010s German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Oak
2010s Guatemalan Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Swedish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel