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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Teak
1990s Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Pottery
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Sculptures
Amethyst
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Sculptures
Amethyst
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bakelite
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
19th Century Italian Antique Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Copper, Zinc
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Metal
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Beech, Wool, Leather
1990s Modern Sculptures
Stone
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
1960s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1930s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Wood
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Limestone, Stone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone