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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Modern Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Marble
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Wood
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s Modern Sculptures
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
1990s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Silver
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1990s Canadian Modern Sculptures
Zebra Wood
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Sculptures
Leather
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
1990s German Modern Sculptures
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Gold Plate
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Cut Glass
1990s Modern Sculptures
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Copper
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s British Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood, Driftwood
Early 2000s Argentine Modern Sculptures
Stone, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass