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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass, Scagliola, Stucco, Burlap
Early 2000s Zimbabwean Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Serpentine
Late 20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cast Stone
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
1960s North American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Acrylic
1990s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
20th Century Brazilian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Rock Crystal
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sterling Silver
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Resin
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel