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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
20th Century North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Limestone, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Ukrainian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Ash, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
1970s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Asian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay, Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Icelandic Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic