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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Masonite, Paint
2010s English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Statuary Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
1980s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Polyester
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Other, Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze