Modern Busts
MODERN STYLE
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
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Style: Modern
Man's Head Yellow Decorative Ceramic Piece, Handmade Italy, 2021, Hand-Crafted
Located in San Miniato PI, IT
The piece is a unique representation of a woman's head in a modern way.
Our designer creates these pieces completely by hand.
Category
2010s Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic, Paint
Marble Bust & Pedestal Middle Eastern Man in Turban
Located in Toledo, OH
Marble bust of a Middle Eastern gentleman with white marble turban sitting on a dark green pedestal with white veining. Some small chips to the backsid...
Category
20th Century Unknown Modern Busts
Materials
Marble
Sculpture Bust Woman with Tattoo in Statuario Carrara Marble
Located in Tivoli Terme, Roma
The sculpture bust was made from a single block of Statuario Carrara marble.
Tattoo was made with manual micro-dots technique by the artist.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Carrara Marble, Statuary Marble
Italian Stone Sculpture Early 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian Stone Sculpture Early 20th Century
stone
70cm x 50cm
good original condition
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Stone
Modern Art Bronze Male Bust Sculpture T.B.-1
Located in Toledo, OH
Modern art bronze male bust sculpture. Laminate base. Very nice condition. Dimensions: 8" depth x 9" W x 17" H.
Category
20th Century Unknown Modern Busts
Materials
Bronze
Italian 20th Century Composite Marble Bust of Clytie
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian 20th Century Composite Marble Bust of Clytie
H. 32.5cm
perfect conditions
Category
20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Marble
Head Bust of Indian, Lapis Lazuli & Silvered Metal Sculpture, Mexico, ca. 1980s
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary
Head Bust of Indian
Lapis Lazuli, Silvered Metal & Granite
Mexico, ca. 1980s
DIMENSIONS
Height: 13.75 inches Width: 4.5 inches ...
Category
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Busts
Materials
Lapis Lazuli, Metal
Richard Walter Bock Bronze Bust of Theodor Menges Sculpture on Marble Base
Located in Countryside, IL
Richard Walter Bock Bronze Bust of Theodor Menges Sculpture on Marble Base
This sculpture measures: 20.75 wide x 13 deep x 26 inches high
This bust is in Good Vintage Condition with...
Category
2010s American Modern Busts
Materials
Marble, Bronze
"Sharp is the Action" Mask Sculpture by Dave Root, High-Fire Stoneware, Signed
Located in Kansas City, MO
From a series of masks and heads, "Sharp is the Action" is a tabletop sculpture inspired by the masks and heads made throughout Oceania. Landing in the nebulous zone between ceremony...
Category
2010s American Modern Busts
Materials
Stoneware
Juan Domingo Peron Bronze Bust of Evita
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
President of Argentina General Juan Domingo Peron Bronze Bust, Evita Peron was his wife. Very nice bronze desk piece, circa 1950. Numbered 17 of 50.
Category
1950s Argentine Vintage Modern Busts
Pair of Angels in Italian Marble Early 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Pair of Angels in Italian Marble Early 20th Century
Marble
65cm x 30cm
original conditions
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Marble
Terracotta Head of the Dying Warrior of the Frontons of Egina 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Terracotta head of the dying warrior of the frontons of Egina 20th century
Italy
Measures: Height 56 cm
Width 25 cm
Length 33 cm
Weight 8 kg
Historical period between 500 and 480 BC
...
Category
20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Terracotta
Bust of Julius Caesar carved on Cipollino Apuan Marble end 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Bust of Julius Caesar carved on Cipollino Apuan Marble end 20th Century
for the bust and white Carrara marble for the head.
Italy
Turned base in white Carrara marble Original one-...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Carrara Marble
HEAD OF PLATO IN TERRACOTTA FROM THE GLYPTOTHEK IN MUNICH 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
HEAD OF PLATO IN TERRACOTTA FROM THE GLYPTOTHEK IN MUNICH 20th Century
H: 44cm x 20cm
Plato (Athens, 428/427 BC – Athens, 348/347 BC)
A terracotta copy of the famous artifact prese...
Category
20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Terracotta
EDOUARD DROUOT (1859-1945) Sculptural Group in Gilded Bronze Signed
Located in Madrid, ES
EDOUARD DROUOT (1859-1945)
Sculptural group in gilded bronze, based on a black marble base.
Signed.
Dim.: 27 x 33 cm
very good condition
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Modern Busts
Materials
Bronze
Chéri-Bibi
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Edition in bronze with green patina, founder's stamp A. Valsuani (Paris)
Signed and numbered
Chéri-Bibi, the central character in a fascinating work by Gaston Leroux, is a captivat...
Category
1970s French Vintage Modern Busts
Materials
Bronze
This is Not a Self Portrait Sculpture by Thomas Dariel
Located in Geneve, CH
This is not a self portrait sculpture by Thomas Dariel
Dimensions: D 24 x W 26.5 x H 63 cm
Materials: Solid plaster sculpture wrapped in elastic band color paint finish, accent ri...
Category
2010s French Modern Busts
Materials
Plastic, Plaster
Italian Male Bust in Black Ceramic, circa 1960
Located in London, GB
An outstanding Italian Male Bust in Black ceramic, circa 1960.
Category
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic
Pair of Wooden Native American Busts
By Jose Pinal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A complementary pair of male and female Native American, wooden busts by Jose Pinal, made in Mexico. One form highlights a more subdued disposition with lon...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Busts
Materials
Wood
Mrs. Somson Ceramic Pottery Bust Sculpture by Jacobsen (Peppi) of Cokeville WY
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage "Mrs. D. Somson" Ceramic Pottery Bust Sculpture by Jacobsen (Peppi) of Cokeville, WY on Mahogany Base. Circa Late 20th Century. Measurements: 15" H x 8" W x 8" D.
Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
PAIR OF BUSTS "LUCIUS VERO" SMALL PLASTER BUST - TANAGRE 21th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
PAIR OF BUSTS "LUCIUS VERO" SMALL PLASTER BUST - TANAGRE 21th Century
Lucius Ceionius Commodus Verus (December 15, 130 - 169), better known simply as Lucius Verus, was co-Emperor wi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Plaster
Terracotta Head of the Dying Warrior of the Frontons of Egina 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Terracotta head of the dying warrior of the frontons of Egina 20th century
Italy
Measures: Height 56 cm
Width 25 cm
Length 33 cm
Weight 8 kg
Historical period between 500 and 480 BC
...
Category
20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Terracotta
Rosario Russell Fiore Plaster Bust
Located in Savannah, GA
A plaster bust of sculptor Rosario Russell Fiore, circa 1980.
Unsigned. Likely by his wife Florence Fiore.
8 inches wide by 9 ½ inches deep by 16 ½ inches tall
Rosario R. Fiore was a prominent American sculptor and member of the National Sculpture Society. Fiore studied at the Mechanics Institute, the National Academy of Design, and the Beaux Arts Academy. Protege of Robert Aitken, he assisted with the creation of the figures in the pediment of the Supreme Court Building, the front of the Archives, and in the Samuel Gompers Memorial.
Other notable achievements include serving as a sculptor for the National Park Service and WPA, the Smithsonian, the Department of the Interior, receiving awards for service provided to the US Army, and undertaking commissions for the White House during the Truman and Kennedy administrations. Born in New York, he was active there, in Washington and in Jekyll...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Busts
Materials
Plaster
Female Torso Sculpture by Brajak Vitberg
Located in Geneve, CH
Female Torso sculpture by Brajak Vitberg
10 Pieces
Dimensions: Ø 35 x H 65 cm
Materials: white or black cotton lampshade, cotton wiring
Bijelic and Brajak are two architects fr...
Category
2010s European Modern Busts
Materials
Clay
Frieze, Cloth Hanger, Gaddi Torso, Contemporary Art Sculpture by Eduard Locota
Located in Timisoara, RO
From extremely detailed 3D scans of the most important classical sculptures of all times, Eduard Locota has digitally sliced and extracted the essential portion of the artwork, then...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
Paul Day (b. 1967) Portrait Plaster Bust of Male
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
Paul Day (b. 1967) portrait plaster bust of a male. This renowned artist is one of the leading sculptors in Britain today. His series of human heads are recognised by the reflections...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Busts
Materials
Plaster
THE DYING WARRIOR PLASTER COPY OF THE ORIGINAL OF THE ATHENA AFAIA early 20th Ce
Located in Madrid, ES
THE DYING WARRIOR PLASTER COPY OF THE ORIGINAL OF THE ATHENA AFAIA TEMPLE OF EGINA early 20th Century
1: 1 museum copy of the head of the famous "dying warrior" from the temple of A...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Busts
Materials
Plaster
Beautiful Italian Terracotta Sculpture 19th Century " The Girl with the Vase "
Located in Madrid, ES
Beautiful Italian Terracotta Sculpture 19th Century
" The Girl with the Vase "
Terracotta
165cm x 65cm
with base: 185cm
good original condition
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Modern Busts
Materials
Terracotta
Frieze, Side Table, Contemporary Art Sculpture by Eduard Locota
Located in Timisoara, RO
From extremely detailed 3D scans of the most important classical sculptures of all times, Eduard Locota has digitally sliced and extracted the essential portion of the artwork, then ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic, Fiberglass, Acrylic
Frieze, Coffee Table, Functional Art Sculpture by Eduard Locota
Located in Timisoara, RO
From extremely detailed 3D scans of the most important classical sculptures of all times, Eduard Locota has digitally sliced and extracted the essential portion of the artwork, then ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Busts
Materials
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
Bust of Young Boy on Mahogany Stand
Located in Dallas, TX
A very appealing naturalistically portrayed bust of a young boy. Terracotta with a plaster finish. Signed on back. Sets on a mahogany wood pedestal.
Dimensions of bust only:
6.75...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Busts
Materials
Plaster, Mahogany, Terracotta
Modern busts for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Modern busts for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage busts created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, folk art and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, paint and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern busts made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original busts, popular names associated with this style include Mosche Bianche, Europa Antiques, Pascale Girardin, and VG-VGnewtrend. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for busts differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $175 and tops out at $134,774 while the average work can sell for $2,774.