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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
Early 20th Century Austrian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold, Silver, Enamel
2010s Polish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wool, Acrylic
20th Century North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Plate
1980s North American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pine
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Paper
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Other, Bronze, Stainless Steel
1920s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Amethyst, Rock Crystal, Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
1990s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gesso
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s Greek Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
1970s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Multi-gemstone, Iron
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Malachite
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Plaster
2010s Egyptian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Polyester, Wood
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Beech
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Czech Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Agate, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Plate
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal