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Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern 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.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s 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 pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture 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, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Period: Mid-20th Century
Iparmuveszeti Vallalat Ceramic Mid-Century Modern Semi-Nude Female Sculpture
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Iparmuveszeti vallalat ceramic Mid-Century Modern semi-nude female sculpture.
Category

Mid-20th Century Hungarian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Moderne Stylized Gazelle Bust Walnut Sculpture Lamps
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Magnificent moderne gazelle bust table lamps. Skillfully sculpted in walnut. Not signed or marked. Both are in excellent condition with no damage, cracks or repairs. These are la...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Midcentury Italian Multicolored Murano Glass "Chubby" Cat Sculpture, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Amazing hand blown midcentury multicolored Murano glass "Chubby" cat sculpture. This piece was designed in Italy during 1970s. The sculpture represents a chubby, fluffy cat bendin...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass

Vintage Italian Midcentury Black and White Terracotta Spaniel Dog Sculpture
Located in Atlanta, GA
An Italian vintage black and white terracotta spaniel dog sculpture from the mid-20th century. We are immediately drawn to the sweetness of this Italian terracotta sculpture depicting a black and white spaniel dog, sitting gracefully on his behind, his weight slightly shifted to his side. Gazing upwards and his long black ears contrasting beautifully against the white color of his coat, he is marked with sparse black spots on his body. With its nice proportions and realistic execution (note the pink pads under his paws), this Italian midcentury terracotta dog sculpture...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Orange Ceramic Chess Pieces Sculpture by Il Picchio, Italy, 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Five chess pieces in orange ceramic by Il Picchio, Italy, 1970s.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Alfredo Barbini Italian Art Glass Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
An Alfredo Barbini Italian art glass sculpture 'Nudo a massello' black frit, fused burst gold foil, clear base with dark green layer. Mark...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Art Glass

Rare Mid-Century Modern Cocktail Tray Table "Tempo Group" by Tony Paul
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare and unusual Mid-Century Modern double cocktail tray table "Tempo Group" by Tony Paul, have never seen one of these in person, only in catalogu...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Solid Brass with Patina'd Accents Zebra and Donkey Pair, Walter Bosse Style
Located in Ferndale, MI
Solid brass with patina'd accents zebra and donkey pair, Walter Bosse style and/or Herta Baller. Herta worked for Bosse until he fled to Germany. Herta took over the company and desi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Walter Bosse Donkey Brass Figurine Pen Holder, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A very charming Austrian midcentury pen or pencil holder, displaying a donkey. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse executed by Herta Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of brass in ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Rare 1960s Dirk Rosse Tear Drop Cutting Board American Studio Craft Midcentury
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Modernist tear drop form. Dirk Rosse (1925-2014) was an exhibited studio furniture maker. Cutting board in walnut, signed with his DDR mark to edge. 13 inches in length total when hu...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Arnova Golden Plaster Bust of Brigitte Bardot, 1950s
Located in Melbourne, AU
An elegant bust of a young lady, clearly based on Brigitte Bardot, by the Arnova company. The bust is attached to a very nicely made granite base, and signed to the back R.I. 369 B.B...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Granite

Iridescent Red Murano Glass 1960s Elephant Attributed to Archimede Seguso
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Murano handmade glass elephant in the style of Archimede Seguso. Very high quality. Perfect condition. No label or mark.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Murano Glass

Sculpture by Kuki
By Kuki
Located in Dallas, TX
Japanese Crane sculpture in marblized resin, signed. "Bird in Flight".
Category

Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Michel Chauvet, Personnage en Mouvement, Modern Sculpture, France, 1960
Located in New York, NY
This terracotta sculpture by Michel Chauvet, the notable midcentury French artist, captures the grace of the human form in motion. Unique piece. Monogrammed: M. CHT.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Walter Bosse Cat Figurine with Thermometer, Herta Baller Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Austrian Mid Century modern desk thermometer, consisting of a nice cat figurine and a lantern-shaped thermometer. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Bal...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Small Austrian Ceramic Figure Collection / Candleholder by Leopold Anzengruber
Located in Chicago, IL
A group of 3 Austrian ceramic figures attributed to Leopold Anzengruber. Manner of Walter Bosse and the Wiener Werkstatte Dimension is of dancing large figure. Note: They are all ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Terra Cotta Mask Czech like Goldscheider
Located in Antwerp, BE
Terra cotta mask of a woman. Measures: Height 32 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Tall Abstract Modernist Aluminium Sculpture
Located in San Diego, CA
Modernist TOTEM mask abstract aluminum sculpture standing 4 feet tall. Artist unknown.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Aluminum

20th Century Murano Purple and Violet Swan Italian Art Glass Sculpture
Located in Miami, FL
Archimede Murano purple and violet Italian art glass sculpture features a swan.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Murano Glass

Design Midcentury Hanging Wall Sculpture by Jitka Forejtova, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- 1960s, Czechoslovakia - Design: Jitka Forejtova - Publicated in books a catalogues - Original good condition, signed by maker.
Category

1960s Czech Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Italian Murano Glass Vase
Located in Antwerp, BE
Italian Murano glass vase. Measures: Diameter 22 cm. Height 21 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Glass, Murano Glass

1950s Pair of Porcelaine Fishes as Bookend or Deco
Located in Weiningen, CH
1950s pair of porcelaine fishes as bookend or deco.
Category

1950s Portuguese Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Carved Rosewood Stylized Antelope Sculpture
Located in Ferndale, MI
An aesthetically charming antelope sculpture in rich grainy rosewood. Both effortless and valiant despite its diminutive size. Measures: 5.13" T x ...
Category

1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Rosewood

Midcentury Figurative Woman in Bronze Entitled "Pondering" by Harriet Hochberg
By Harriet Hochberg
Located in San Diego, CA
Midcentury figurative nude woman in bronze on wood base entitled "Pondering" by Harriet Hochberg, circa 1979. The piece has a wonderful vontage patina and measures: 7.625" D x 9.5" W...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mid century Carved Marble Hippo Sculpture
Located in Norwood, NJ
Mid century carved marble hippo sculpture. Modern sculpture of a hippopotamus carved from granite.
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Walter Bosse Bear Figurine
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse bear figurine Original condition.  
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Elio Schiavon Italian Wizard Figure
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Elio Schiavon wizard figure, dates to the mid-1950s in excellent condition! Born in 1925 in Arzergrande, Padua, Italy. Studied at the Nove School of Ceramic Art. Opened his own Studi...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Set of Two Ceramic Fish Sculptures, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Rare - Marked by label.
Category

1960s Czech Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Guitou Knoop Mid-Century Modern Abstract Brutalist Sculpture, France
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Mid-Century Modern abstract bronze metal tabletop sculpture accessory by Guitou Knoop (French, 1909-1985). Signed and dated on base. This work is 1 of 5 available for purchase.  
Category

1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Walter Bosse Paragraph Lawyer Brass Sculpture, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
A Midcentury brass figurine, displaying a paragraph form the 1950s. Designed by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller, Austria. In very g...
Category

Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Small ‘Mouse’ Stabile Sculpture by Margery Kahn 1950
By Margery Kahn
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Table top and of a diminutive size, signature stamped on underside of top. Margery worked during the mid-20th century at the Met in NYC.
Category

1950s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Sculptural Modern Lamp
Located in Atlanta, GA
Sculptural modern lamp, believed to be Italian, circa 1960s. It has been rewired and is ready to use. The price noted below includes the shade.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Brass

Decorative Bonsai Style Brass Tree
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Unusual artwork in the style of Curtis Jere, featuring brass trees set on a bark looking base. (Please confirm item location - NY or NJ - with dealer).  
Category

1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Pair of Figurative Female Bronze Sculptures by Robert Winslow
Located in San Diego, CA
Pair of figurative female bronze sculptures by listed Chicago sculptor Robert Winslow, circa 1970s. The small piece measures 3.75"W x 2.75"D x 5.5"H and...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Terracotta Sculpture, Monogrammed Pm for Perugini Mario, circa 1960
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Terracotta sculpture, monogrammed Pm for Perugini Mario, circa 1960.
Category

1960s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Set of 3 Midcentury Lucite Fish Designed by Brazilian Artist Abraham Palatnik
Located in Doornspijk, NL
This gracefully white adult mother fish guards her two black young ones with her life. The white fish measurements are 8,5 cm in height, 27,5 cm in length and 3 cm in depth. The bl...
Category

Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Lucite

Italian Marble Sculpture on Iron Base
Located in New York, NY
Round Italian marble sculpture on iron base.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Iron

Modernist Wire, Copper and Mache "Worlds Expansion" Albright Knox
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist wire. Copper and papier mâché "Worlds Expansion" Albright Knox, amazing hand executed sculpture, recently purchased from Buffalo NY estate, pos...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Copper, Wire

Midcentury Lucite Abstract Sculpture by Hivo Van Teal
Located in San Diego, CA
Midcentury Lucite abstract sculpture by Hivo Van Teal, circa 1960s. This beautiful three dimensional sculpture is in great condition with no chips, cracks or crazing. The sculpture m...
Category

Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Lucite

Terracotta Sculpture
Located in Antwerp, BE
Terracotta sculpture signed. Measures: Height 24 cm. Width 23 cm. Depth 12 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Mid-Century Modern Italian Animal Sculpture in Green Resin of a Deer, 1960s
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
Deer sculpture in green resin from Italy, 1960s. Really good condition very beautiful decorative piece.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Resin

Paul A. Lobel Sterling Fisherman Kinetic Sculpture
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul A. Lobel (1899-1983) modernist silversmith, sculptor and artist. Lobel sold his jewelry and art at his Greenwich village shop in the 1940s and 1950s. This two-piece sterling Kin...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Sterling Silver

Brass Container with Lid Handcrafted by Franz Peters, 1950s
Located in London, GB
Tactile and curvaceous hand driven brass vessel or container with lid signed Franz J. Peters Stolberg RH, Peters, 1913-1977. In this handcrafted con...
Category

1950s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Brass Horse Head Sculpture on Marble Base
Located in Stamford, CT
Well detailed solid brass sculpture of a horse head on a marble base. "Go Go" is the name of the horse.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Brass

Brown Bird Animal Ceramic Sculpture by B. Favre, 1975 Midcentury handmade
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Benoist Favre Modern animal ceramic sculpture. Stoneware pottery with brown and grey colors. Signed at the base, circa 1975. Excellent origin...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Unusual Quality Glazed Art Pottery Monkey Holding a Vase, 20th Century
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
An unusual and exceptionally well modeled studio glazed art pottery figure of a seated monkey holding a vase believed to date from the early to mid-20th...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Pottery

Chinese Art Glass Figurine by Dino Rosin for Murano Glass
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous art glass Chinese figurine in green swirl, black and clear Murano glass, circa 1970s. The pieces is signed "Rosin Murano" and has incredibly vibrant color and great texture!...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Art Glass

Gennarelli Mid-Century Modern 'Torso' Carved Granite Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern 'Torso' direct carving in granite of a woman's torso, by A. Gennarelli. The piece is mounted atop a square stone base which bears a plaque with the artist name and...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Granite

Richard Rohac Ring Holder, 1950s
Located in Wien, AT
Richard Rohac ring holder, 1950s Excellent original condition.  
Category

1950s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Italian Polish Bronze Sail Boat Sculpture by Emilio Lancia
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful polish bronze sculpture design by renowned Italian designer Emilio Lancia in the 1960s. The sculpture depicts two sail boats sailing in the ocean. The sculpture is constr...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Le Coq" Michel Anasse Sculpture in Soldering Iron, 1965
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Humour, fantasy in Michel Anasse sculptures. His animal masterpieces are well-known all-over the world. This object represents a coq in soldering iron, circa 1965. He's French artist...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Iron

French Silvered Bronze Brooch by Line Vautrin
Located in Atlanta, GA
A bronze brooch in a silvered finish by French art jeweler Line Vautrin (1913-1997) entitled "Mignonne Allons Voir Si La Rose" (Sweetheart, let's see if the rose). The large round br...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

1960s Brutalist Spheric Globe Nail Spike Table Sculpture Nuclear Atomic Era
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Wonderful airy design, for such brutal components.
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Green Fox in Stoneware by Kaare Berven Fjeldsaa, Norway, 1960s
By Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa
Located in Esbjerg, DK
This charming ceramic fox figurine has an applied soft and subtle olive green glaze on a pastel yellow under-glaze. It was designed and manufactured by Kaare Berven Fjeldsaa's at his...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Pottery

Glazed Stoneware Bear Figurine, Knud Kyhn for Royal Copenhagen #20155
Located in Chorzów, PL
Bear glazed stoneware Roayal Copenhagen statue by Knud Kyhn. Ceramic statue produced by Royal Copenhagen of Denmark in perfect condition. Produced 1950s. Knud Kyhn 1880 -1969 was a...
Category

1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

Abstract Resin Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
An interesting abstract sculpture of a man in the manner of Gaetano Pesce. It sits on a marble base (separate).
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble

1950s Ceramic Lamp with Maria Kipp Original Shade
Located in Cathedral City, CA
1950s ceramic sculptural lamp in the style of William Haines with original Maria Kipp shade.
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Fred Press Astrological Zodiac Brutalist Bronze Sculptures Mid Century
Located in Bedford Hills, NY
Very rare set of 12 Astrological sign cast bronze brutalist sculptures by Fred Press. Each zodiac sign represented, beautiful age and patina. Early in the 1950s, Mr. Press moved to...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mid-century Modern sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern sculptures for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, ceramic and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern sculptures made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sculptures, popular names associated with this style include Walter Bosse, Herta Baller, Curtis Jeré, and Joel Escalona. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $34 and tops out at $295,000 while the average work can sell for $1,322.

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