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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Sandstone
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Belgian Black Marble
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Nickel
1990s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century North American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Early 20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
1980s Venezuelan Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass, Scagliola, Stucco, Burlap
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Walnut, Wood
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wire
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1990s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Australian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Travertine, Iron
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Thai Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Stone, Bronze, Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Silver
1960s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cast Stone
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Copper
Early 2000s Greek Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
20th Century English Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Pottery, Scrap Wood, Reclaimed Wood, Walnut, Hardwood, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Jute, Fiberglass, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Metal, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Iron, Wire
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass