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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass, Plaster, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Oak
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1930s French Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Chrome
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Sculptures
Cement
1980s British Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Driftwood
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
2010s North American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Cut Steel
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Paper
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Jute, Fiberglass, Plaster
2010s Turkish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sterling Silver
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s English Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Alabaster
1960s Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Iron
2010s South African Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Granite
Early 2000s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass