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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swedish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Ukrainian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Carrara Marble, Marble, Granite, Travertine, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware, Terracotta
Early 2000s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paint
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper, Enamel
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
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 Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
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 Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
1980s English Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel