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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Resin
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Wood, Teak
1980s Zimbabwean Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Steel
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Plaster
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1930s Brazilian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sculptures
Clay, Terracotta
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Finnish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Early 2000s Argentine Modern Sculptures
Stone, Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bakelite
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood