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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sterling Silver
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s British Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone, Bronze
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass, Plaster, Paint
1930s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum, Cut Steel
2010s Austrian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Steel
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sandstone
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster