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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Mahogany
2010s European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
1990s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
20th Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1990s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stoneware
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel, Iron
1990s European Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Wood
20th Century British Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Danish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Concrete
1990s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Copper, Iron
1990s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Colombian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Other
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass, Lacquer
1990s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plywood, Paint
2010s Dutch Modern Abstract Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
2010s American Modern Abstract Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Finnish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood
1980s British Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Driftwood
1970s American Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Brass
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Abstract Sculptures
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Abstract Sculptures
Onyx, Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
1990s Italian Modern Abstract Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass