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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Stone, Gold, Vermeil
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Paper
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1940s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Plaster
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Leather
1990s Modern Sculptures
Iron
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold, Brass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Cement
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Clay, Wood
20th Century Sahrawi Modern Sculptures
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin, Epoxy Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze