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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Enamel
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ash
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Crystal
1980s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Abstract Sculptures
Crystal, Lava, Gold Leaf
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
2010s Swedish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Korean Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murrine, Murano Glass
1960s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Milk Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Korean Modern Abstract Sculptures
Polystyrene
20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
1980s European Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Austrian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Parchment Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plexiglass, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware, Terracotta
2010s Swedish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Dutch Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Travertine, Bronze
2010s Malaysian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
2010s Malaysian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
1950s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Early 2000s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Slate
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Chrome
20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass