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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Belarusian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Israeli Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Nickel
1970s Portuguese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Early 2000s European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1960s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition, Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Epoxy Resin, Walnut
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Malachite, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Japanese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Serbian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Chrome
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
String, Plexiglass, Wood
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Silver
2010s Lebanese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Statuary Marble
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster