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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Canadian Modern Sculptures
Oak
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1940s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Terracotta, Wood
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Copper
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plywood
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Wood, Ash, Glass
2010s Romanian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Wood
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Leather
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Hardwood, Lacquer
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Limestone, Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1970s Hungarian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Scrap Wood, Paint
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plexiglass, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Wood, Paint
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Iron
1980s European Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plywood
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Hemp, Rope
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Central American Modern Sculptures
Wood, Cypress
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass