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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut, Maple
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Organic Material, Paper
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Organic Material
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Rock Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Hungarian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic, Wood
Mid-20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Chilean Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass
20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Early 2000s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lucite
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Tin
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Chrome
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Rock Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1970s European Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone, Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic