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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Sculptures
Stone
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Sculptures
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Other
1920s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Travertine
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Central American Modern Sculptures
Wood, Cypress
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century British Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Oak
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Rubber, Plastic
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Wood, Pine
1940s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Terracotta, Wood
20th Century British Modern Sculptures
Plaster
Early 20th Century Congolese Modern Sculptures
Copper
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Ash
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Wood, Ash, Glass
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Ash, Glass, Wood
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Natural Fiber, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Chrome
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Teak, Wood
2010s Lebanese Modern Sculptures
Cement, Brass, Steel
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Wood
2010s Canadian Modern Sculptures
Oak