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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1930s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Greek Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
1970s Portuguese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Statuary Marble
20th Century Malian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver Plate, Pewter
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
1990s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1990s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Beech
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete