The design of brutalist furniture encompasses that which is crafted, hewn and worked by hand — an aesthetic rebuke (or, at least, a counterpoint) to furniture that is created using 21st-century materials and technology. Lately, the word “brutalist” has been adopted by the realms of furniture design and the decorative arts to refer to chairs, cabinets, tables and accessory pieces such as mirror frames and lighting that are made of rougher, deeply textured metals and other materials that are the visual and palpable antithesis of the sleek, smooth and suave.
ORIGINS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE BRUTALIST FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The term brutalism — which derives from the French word brut, meaning “raw” — was coined by architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring monumental buildings, usually made of unornamented concrete, whose design was meant to project an air of strength and solidity.
Le Corbusier essentially created the brutalist style; its best-known iterations in the United States are the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was designed by Marcel Breuer, and Paul Rudolph's Yale Art and Architecture Building. The severe style might have been the most criticized architectural movement of the 20th century, even if it was an honest attempt to celebrate the beauty of raw material. But while the brutalist government buildings in Washington, D.C., seemingly bask in their un-beauty, brutalist interior design and decor is much more lyrical, at times taking on a whimsical, romantic quality that its exterior counterparts lack.
Paul Evans is Exhibit A for brutalist furniture design. His Sculpture Front cabinets laced with high-relief patinated steel mounts have become collector's items nonpareil, while the chairs, coffee table and dining table in his later Cityscape series and Sculpted Bronze series for Directional Furniture are perhaps the most expressive, attention-grabbing pieces in American modern design. Other exemplary brutalist designers are Silas Seandel, the idiosyncratic New York furniture designer and sculptor whose works in metal — in particular his tables — have a kind of brawny lyricism, and Curtis Jere, a nom-de-trade for the California team of Curtis Freiler and Jerry Fels, the bold makers of expressive scorched and sheared copper and brass mirror frames and wall-mounted sculptures.
Brutalist furniture and sculptures remain popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find authentic vintage brutalist chairs, coffee tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Vintage Large Scale Brutalist Cattail Sculpture on a Burled Wood Base
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Charleston, SC
A beautiful brutalist mixed metal sculpture on a Burled wood base. It featured 7 cattails in different heights as well as leaves of different heights and shapes. After C. Jere.
Metal
"Femur" Contemporary Decorative Golden Object in Cast Brass by Estudio Orth
By Estúdio Orth
Located in Sao Paulo, BR
Contemporary decorative object, in cast brass. Produced in São Paulo, Brazil. This golden decorative object was meticulously handmade by master artisans one delicate piece at a time...
Brass
Margaret Lovell ''DIAMOND RELIEF'' BRUTALIST SCULPTURE C.1968
Located in Stourbridge, West Midlands
Margaret Lovell DIPFA(Lond), FRBS, RWA ''Diamond Relief'' C.1968. Bronze mounted to a wooden base. This is a limited edition sculpture and number 3 of 4 and a unique version. Please ...
Bronze
Abstract Brutalist Bird Sculpture, Welded Bronze on Concrete Base, C 1960s-70s
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A compelling example of mid-century Brutalist metalwork, this hand-worked bronze sculpture depicts an abstracted bird form with remarkable economy of means. The composition balances ...
Concrete, Bronze
Metal rooster sculpture, signed, France, 1970
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Metal rooster sculpture, France, 1970s, with an expressive and decorative style. Made of hammered metal, this piece is distinguished by its slender and stylized forms, giving the roo...
Metal
$14,320Sale Price / item|20% Off
The Abstract Elegance of Burned Oak, Dark and Sleek, by Escalona, Still Stand 98
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
The Abstract Elegance of Burned Oak, Dark and Sleek, by Escalona, Still Stand No98 _ Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one ...
Hardwood
Brutalist Cast Aluminum Door Panel in the style of Paul Evans, 1960s
By Paul Evans
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Wall sculpture - abstract decoration Large cast aluminum door panel from the 1960s. Its brutalist design is clearly influenced by the metal sculptures associated with Paul Evans. The...
Aluminum
Sculpture of a head in wood, France, 1960
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
A wooden sculpture of a head, France, 1960s, with an expressive and profoundly organic character. Carved from a solid block of wood, this piece reveals a face with soft, introspectiv...
Wood
Collection of 5o 19th Century Carved Wood Molds for Castings, Sizes Vary
Located in Buchanan, MI
Collection of 50 19th century carved wood molds for castings. Would make a great residential or commercial art installation. Sizes vary, great color and patina. Please note there ar...
Wood
Tall Bronze Masai Sculptures 1960s Vintage Kenya Mother Baby Giacometti Style
Located in London, GB
Two 1960s bronze sculptures from the Maasai tribe in Kenya and Tanzania in everyday motherhood figures. The elongated and brutalist-like effect figures evoke a Giacometti-like aest...
Bronze
BIJAN Metal Sculpture Dog with Birds Pursuit Copper and Brass on Stone Base
By Bijan
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage BIJAN Metal Sculpture Dog with Birds Pursuit Copper and Brass on Stone Base. Mid Century Modern Bijan metal sculpture circa 1960 1970s. T...
Stone, Metal, Brass, Bronze, Copper
French Vintage Massive Plaster Bust of a Woman
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A monumental French vintage bust of an anonymous young woman in larger-than-life scale, her unforgettable likeness rendered in plaster that has been pigmented and faux-finished to ap...
Plaster
"Rino"Contemporary Silver Hanger in Aluminium Cast by Estudio Orth
By Estúdio Orth
Located in Sao Paulo, BR
Produced in São Paulo, Brazil. This contemporary Hanger was meticulously handmade by master artisans one piece at a time. It is therefore quite difficult, if not impossible to mak...
Aluminum
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Brutalist Bronze Figurative Sculpture by Davis David, 1993
Located in Miami, FL
Brutalist bronze figurative sculpture by Davis David, 1993 Offered is an abstract Brutalist Postmodern figurative bronze sculpture. The bronze sculpture depicts two abstract figur...
Bronze
Wooden Zodiac Capricorn Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Plywood
In Burned Oak, a Dark Biomorphic Sculpture of Elegance Emerges, Still Stand No97
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
In Burned Oak, a Dark Biomorphic Sculpture of Elegance Emerges, Still Stand No97 _ Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is ...
Hardwood
Wooden Zodiac Capricorn Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Wood
Claudio Capotondi Abstract Bronze Table Sculpture, 1995
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Modern handcrafted Claudio Capotondi Brutalist Cast Bronze Table Sculpture on Black Marble Base. Featuring a rectangular form (12H x 12W x 2.25D) with double flared cast Bronze desig...
Marble, Bronze
NONO Elefante Buffet 15, Solid Wood, Understated Design Detail
By NONO
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
NONO Elefante Buffet 15, Solid Oak, Understated Design Detail ————————————————————— Elefante Collection: A Harmony of Design and Heritage by NONO Crafting Elegance with a Modernist ...
Hardwood
A brutalist relief, ”Chalice and Fruits" stoneware by Gunvor Olin, Arabia
By Gunvor Olin-Grönqvist, Arabia
Located in Stockholm, SE
A brutalist still life relief, ”Chalice and Fruits," signed by Gunvor Olin-Grönqvist, was crafted during the 1960s in stoneware. The wall panel boasts an impressive size of 19 x 53.5...
Enamel
Vintage Original Studio Pottery Block Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This striking vintage studio pottery sculpture by Kaplan is a masterclass in Brutalist-inspired organic modernism. Hand-built from substantial stoneware, the piece features an asymme...
Pottery, Stoneware
Elegant Biomorphic Sculpture, Black Solid Wood by Escalona, Still Stand No88
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Elegant Biomorphic Sculpture, Black Solid Wood by Escalona, Still Stand No88 —— Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a ...
Hardwood
Monumental Wooden Sculpture Inspired in Constantin Brancusi Style
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
This monolithic sculpture, designed by the talented Artist Joel Escalona, is a towering example of beauty in craftsmanship. Hand and digital machine made; the standing sculpture stan...
Hardwood
1970's Mexican Brutalist Welded And Hammered Steel House Shaped Sculpture
Located in Mexico City, MX
A 1970's anonymous Mexican Brutalist hammered and welded steel sculpture in shape of a house. The geometric design of the composition has a perfect ...
Steel
Mid Century Modern Brutalist Solid Bronze Crucifix Sculpture 1960s
Located in San Diego, CA
Mid Century Modern Brutalist Solid Bronze Crucifix wall hung sculpture. Beautifully crafted sculpture with a rich patina. Unsigned. 1960s
Bronze
Still Stand Abstract Wood Sculpture, Chainsaw Carved, Walnut, Logniture
By Logniture
Located in Stara Gradiška, HR
Carved from a single solid log, the form rises through a series of open, pierced voids that give the piece a lightness completely at odds with the density of the material. It reads d...
Walnut
James Bearden Trio of Brutalist Metal Giraffe Sculptures, Signed
Located in Dallas, TX
Brutalist style giraffe sculptures by James Bearden. Signed JB on the underside of one giraffe. Measurements of each as follows: Measures: 17.75"H x 3"W x 3.25"D 15.5"H x 2.75"W x 3...
Metal
Klaus Lehmann, Brutalist German Studio Pottery Cube Art Sculpture No. 255 78
Located in Hamburg, DE
Klaus Lehmann, Postmodern Brutalist German Studio Pottery Cube Art Sculpture No. 255 78, 1978, Ceramic & Metal
Metal
Aharon Bezalel Cast Bronze, Modernist, Brutalist, c 1969
Located in Buffalo, NY
Aharon Bezalel Cast Bronze, modernist, brutalist. c 1969, Wonderful form and artistry.
Bronze
Brutalist Metal Sculpture by Silas Seandel
Located in New York, NY
Brutalist mixed metal sculpture by Silas Seandel. This piece depicts a stylized Lilly, it is constructed of torch cut metal, it is signed "Silas" on its back. The sculpture is design...
Brass, Copper
Bronze Figural Group Of African Royal Family On Carrier And Attendants, C. 1920s
Located in Germantown, MD
An Early 20th century Bamoun Bronze sculpture. The art of bronze in african art at the service of the King. The king, a bearded figure, a symbol of wisdom, sits in his carrier chair,...
Bronze
A Zoomorphic BRUTALIST Ritual SCULPTURE Unique PIECE from LA BORNE France 1980
Located in PARIS, FR
An exceptional, spectacular and "mystical" phantasmagorical sculpture, inspired by nature and the wild, mineral or organic and animal or even... shamanic! in 3 nested parts, Zoomorph...
Ceramic
Vintage Plaster Head Sculpture on Wood Base
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Exuding an air of quiet contemplation, this vintage plaster head sculpture is a striking example of Mid-Century artistic expression. The piece fe...
Plaster, Wood
$14,995Sale Price|40% Off
1970s, Henri Fernandez Brass Fountain Style Fish Sculpture, France
Located in St- Leonard, Quebec
Fish sculpture, made of torch cutted, hand hammered and welded brass structure sitting on a oriental style brass base filled with ciment. All his fountains sculpture are unique but ...
Agate, Brass
Still Stand Abstract Wood Sculpture, Chainsaw Carved, Walnut, Logniture
By Logniture
Located in Stara Gradiška, HR
This organic sculptural abstract piece, hand carved from a single block of solid hardwood. Its rounded, pebble like form feels grounded and natural, inviting the hand to hold and exp...
Wood, Walnut
Mid-Century Modern Brutalist Studio Pottery Bull Sculpture in Green Glaze Signed
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This unusual mid-century modern studio pottery sculpture depicts a stylised bull rendered in a bold, abstract form. Handcrafted in ceramic, the piece features a beautifully mottled g...
Ceramic, Pottery
1970s Set of 3 large Original Travertine Sculptures by Fratelli Mannelli
Located in Nuernberg, DE
1970s Set of 3 original travertine sculptures designed by Fratelli Mannelli. These items are in original as found conditions. Not easy to find this set. The set consists of a paperwe...
Travertine
Joseph L. Gardella Abstract Black Patinated Bronze Sculpture
Located in Astoria, NY
Joseph Lawrence Gardella (American, XX-XXI) Biomorphic Form Black Patinated Bronze Sculpture, unsigned, mounted on a square base. Overall: 10.25" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D. Provenance:...
Bronze
Pair of West German Fat Lava Pottery Vessels Attributed to Marei Keramik, 1970s
Located in San Diego, CA
A striking pair of vintage West German art pottery vessels attributed to Marei Keramik, executed during the height of the celebrated Fat Lava movement of the late 1960s and early 197...
Ceramic
Brutalist Abstract Sculptural in Grogged Stoneware by Jo Rowland – circa 1970
By Jo Rowland
Located in leucate, FR
A masterful sculptural work blending architectural rigor with telluric expression. This exceptional grogged stoneware (grès chamotté) sculpture is an original work by the artist Jo ...
Stoneware
1970s Set of 3 large Original Travertine Animal Sculptures by Fratelli Mannelli
Located in Nuernberg, DE
1970s Set of 3 original travertine animal sculptures designed by Fratelli Mannelli. These items are in original as found conditions. Not easy to find this set. Two of them (Elephant ...
Travertine
Pair of West German Fat Lava Ceramic Vases by Bay Keramik and Uebelacker Keramik
By Bay Keramik
Located in San Diego, CA
A striking and highly sculptural pair of authentic West German “Fat Lava” ceramic vases dating to the late 1960s–early 1970s, featuring vivid volcanic glazes in saturated lava red wi...
Ceramic
Marcel Ramond (1935-) Metal geometric sculpture, circa 1970
Located in Paris, FR
Marcel Ramond (1935-) Metal geometric sculpture, circa 1970 Welded iron Signed under the base A certificate will be provided to the buyer Length 44 x Height 38 x Depth 18 cm
Metal
Important Peter Voulkos 'Plate', 1981 – Wheel-Thrown Stoneware, Surface Drawing
Located in Chicago, IL
Important Peter Voulkos 'Untitled Plate', 1981 – Wheel-Thrown Stoneware with Surface Drawing Dimensions: 5¼ D × 21 W× 20 H in Signed: Voulkos 81, to reverse Catalog: Registered under...
Clay
Still Stand Abstract Wood Sculpture, Chainsaw Carved, Walnut, Logniture
By Logniture
Located in Stara Gradiška, HR
Carved from a single piece of wood, this tall abstract sculpture is a masterwork of organic fluidity. Its design features an undulating, vertical silhouette that flows with a sense o...
Walnut
$14,320Sale Price / item|20% Off
Still Stand No102, The Dark Elegance of Abstract Burned Oak by Escalona
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Still Stand No102, The Dark Elegance of Abstract Burned Oak by Escalona _ Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a testame...
Hardwood
Wooden Zodiac Sagittarius Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Plywood
Modern Brutalist African Wooden Sculpture – Female Bust
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Modern Brutalist African Wooden Sculpture – Female Bust – 50 cm This is a striking sculpture of a female bust, carved in solid wood, in a style that combines modern minimalism, bruta...
Wood
Two Beautiful Fish Sculpture in Travertine Marble Fratelli Mannelli Italy, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Set of two Fratelli Mannelli brutalist fish sculptures made of travertine, vintage 1970s. The figurines of the Italian modern design were sign...
Travertine
Modern Totem in Dark Elegance, Carved Burned Oak, Presented in Still Stand No95
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Modern Totem in Dark Elegance, Carved Burned Oak, Presented in Still Stand No95 _ Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a...
Hardwood
$70,024Sale Price|20% Off
Ermanno Nason Christ of the Glassblowers Murano Glass and Iron Pipes Early 1970s
Located in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, Florence
Intense and passionate glass sculpture from Ermanno Nason, using his favorite glass, the acciaio gray. This warm transparent gray color is often used by glass massiccio Sculptors, w...
Iron
Sleek Abstract Sculpture in Burned Oak, Still Stand No82 by NONO
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Sleek Abstract Sculpture in Burned Oak, Still Stand No82 by NONO —— Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a testament t...
Hardwood
A Metal CACTUS Contemporary SCULPTURE BRUTALIST Unique PIECE by ESOJ France 2020
Located in PARIS, FR
A strong complex and spectacular metal cactus, contemporary brutalist sculpture, unique piece by artist ESOJ, France 2020. This piece is made to be presented indoor. For any outdoor project, we offer the buyer to create a solid and stable base or fixation system to fix the sculpture and allow it to resist to wind and natural elements. We represent ESOJ and organized his exhibition "Metal Spirit", November 2022, in our gallery in Paris, and this unique piece was presented during this event. Esoj's work is rooted in a direct link to daily life, to the visual value of consumer objects. Whether they are elements of nature or products of pop culture, he fixes them in the metal to give them a definitive appearance, a form of immortality: a box of opened chocolates will be there forever, nothing will not erase Mickey's sluggish smile, nor his middle finger; a succulent plant frozen in iron will no longer need water... A parallel world under construction, a world of avatars springing from a metallic quintessence which confronts man with himself, with matter, with progress, to the flow of time. Beyond their symbolic force, Esoj's sculptures express as much the visceral gesture of the artist in a world losing meaning, as they catalog his universe in a subjective archive. For his first collaboration with us, Esoj looks away from his Barbie dolls, Playmobils and bags of M&Ms, to sketch a sort of return to Nature and vibrate an ancestral wisdom evident in his new series of cacti, succulents, vases and masks murals with shamanic connotations. A wisdom that he draws from his Portuguese origins, this saudade: “tension between opposites, on the one hand the feeling of a lack, on the other hand the hope and the desire to find what we lack”, embodied here by a particularly inhabited desert; where cacti are next to agaves, aloes, prickly pears, plants which are certainly ornamental but also hallucinogenic and healing, sometimes fatal; where the series of containers suggests an almost medicinal link between these inert objects, even more obvious in the wall piece inspired by Korean shaman...
Metal
Vintage Coastal Patinated Bronze Cattail Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Capture the raw, organic beauty of nature with this striking vintage cattail sculpture. Expertly crafted from mixed metals, this artisan piece showcases a dynamic composition of slen...
Brass, Copper
1950's Brutalist Metal Wall Soccer Football Hanging Sculpture MCM 3D
By Curtis Jeré
Located in San Diego, CA
Very cool and unique metal wall hanging soccer football game 3D, circa 1950's nice patina finish unique piece great for the world cup 2026.
Metal
Joel Escalona's Creation, Dark Black Solid Wood Totem, Still Stand No84
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Joel Escalona's Creation, Dark Black Solid Wood Totem, Still Stand No84 —— Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a testa...
Hardwood
Wooden Zodiac Taurus Bull Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Plywood
$260Sale Price|20% Off
Brutalist Signed Raw Metal Torch Cut Flower Sculpture
Located in San Diego, CA
Brutalist raw metal torch cut flower sculpture, circa 1983. The sculpture is in very good vintage condition and measures 10"W x 5"D x 14.5"H; it is signed and mumbered on the side. G...
Metal
Circa 1970s Brutalist Torch Cut Flower Display on Quartz Rock
By John Steck
Located in Charleston, SC
This excellent brutalist sculpture has 4 verdigris color flowers and torch cut bronze leaves that all sit on a solid piece of quartz. Circa 1970’s. Styled after John Steck, not sig...
Rock Crystal, Bronze
Brutalist Expressionist Horse Sculpture, Signed JC with Copyright Mark, 1980s
Located in San Diego, CA
A dynamic Brutalist-style horse sculpture rendered with heavy, expressive surface modeling and a strong sense of motion. The figure’s elongated limbs and bowed head convey tension an...
Resin