Modern Figurative 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Zinc
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Polish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Polystyrene
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fabric, Faux Leather, Plastic, Paper
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Resin
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plywood
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal, Stainless Steel, Iron
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Art Glass, Paint
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum, Cut Steel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cut Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass, Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Plexiglass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint