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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Bronze, Enamel
20th Century European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1960s Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Chrome
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
1970s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic
2010s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Iron, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Austrian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cement
20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cut Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak
2010s Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Austrian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Parchment Paper
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
2010s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Australian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze