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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 2000s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Brazilian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Nickel
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Paint
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Belgian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s North American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Other
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Chilean Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1960s European Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Brass
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Other
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Colombian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Natural Fiber
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel
2010s Argentine Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Wood
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble, Statuary Marble
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Oak
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
Mid-20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
1950s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pewter
1990s Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze