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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 South African Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Steel
1940s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut, Maple
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Maple
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
1940s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
2010s Egyptian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Polyester, Wood
2010s French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Opaline Glass, Resin
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ash
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Pottery
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1920s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wool, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Gold Leaf
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Multi-gemstone, Iron
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Clay
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
2010s Thai Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1990s Modern Figurative Sculptures
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Onyx
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Chrome
1980s North American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver Plate
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Walnut
2010s English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
String, Plexiglass, Wood
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Natural Fiber
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Multi-gemstone