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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Beech
2010s Belgian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
1990s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plexiglass
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Cast Stone, Brass, Nickel
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Gold Leaf
2010s Portuguese Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Gold Leaf
2010s Balkan Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic, Acrylic, Silicone
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1990s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Hardwood, Paint
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Malachite, Silver
2010s North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Composition
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
Late 20th Century North American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1950s Japanese Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Israeli Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Czech Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Fiberglass
1970s Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wrought Iron
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century English Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Mexican Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal