Modern 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
1990s English Modern Sculptures
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Natural Fiber
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Limestone
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Clay
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Clay
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Cast Stone
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Quartz
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Pottery, Stoneware
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Cotton
2010s Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Quartz
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Gold Plate
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Cement
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint