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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Agate, Brass
1990s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Zinc
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Czech Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Plaster
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Foam, Resin, Plaster, Paint, Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal, Other, Wire
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Foam, Resin, Plaster, Paint, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Composition
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Metal
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut