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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Israeli Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Amethyst, Rock Crystal, Marble
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Clay, Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s Modern Sculptures
Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1990s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Philippine Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
2010s Turkish Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Modern Sculptures
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Modern Sculptures
Marble
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Plastic
1970s Philippine Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stone, Marble, Brass
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Sculptures
Composition