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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Polish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
1970s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
1960s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pewter
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Bronze, Copper
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1990s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
1960s Chinese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1990s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lucite
1920s German Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Steel
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lucite
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze, Chrome
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1990s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Rock Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Limestone
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Plate
1990s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition, Marble, Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Belarusian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic