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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Argentine Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
2010s Belgian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Early 20th Century Rwandan Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Multi-gemstone
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Precious Stone
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
20th Century German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Acrylic, Silicone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1970s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Gold Leaf
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Felt, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass, Chrome
Early 20th Century Icelandic Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plexiglass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Oak, Ash
Early 2000s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver Plate, Pewter
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic