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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1990s Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Enamel, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Shagreen Stingray, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold, Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
1980s European Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Brass
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Sommerso
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
1970s German Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Marble, Gold Leaf
1990s Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s English Modern Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Earthenware
1970s German Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plexiglass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Earthenware
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass, Scagliola
1990s Hungarian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Smoked Glass, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement