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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s German Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Steel, Chrome
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
Mid-20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
Late 20th Century British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
1960s Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Crystal, Gold, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Steel, Magnets
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
1980s English Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1980s English Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Malaysian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Malaysian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
Late 20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Pottery, Wood, Hardwood, Walnut, Reclaimed Wood, Scrap Wood
1990s Hungarian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Smoked Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Jute, Acrylic, Fiberglass, Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
Mid-20th Century European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel