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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Polystyrene
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Chestnut
20th Century French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
1960s Croatian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stone
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Carrara Marble
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Aluminum
2010s European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s African Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Steel
1970s English Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Slate, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Silver
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Oak
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Jute, Plaster, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Pine
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Unknown Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s Austrian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
1960s Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Enamel
20th Century North American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Earthenware
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
1990s Modern Abstract Sculptures
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Japanese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Enamel