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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Copper
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Modern Sculptures
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wool
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Plaster, Fiberglass
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze, Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Glass, Wood
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Clay
2010s Lebanese Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Statuary Marble
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Plaster
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Enamel, Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Sculptures
Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Other
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1990s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Colombian Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
1990s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass