Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale, in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century designers caught the spirit.
Classically-oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb — who designed holistic groups of sleek, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Pottery
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Marble
1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Foam
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Oak
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1970s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Wood
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Plaster
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Rope
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Malachite
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Stone
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal, Copper
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Steel
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Pottery
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Clay
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Rope
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass, Chrome
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Cast Stone
1950s Finnish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1990s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Opaline Glass, Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Plaster, Wood
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Leather
1970s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass