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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Nickel
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble, Gold Leaf
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Paper
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Enamel, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Steel, Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Oak, Fiberglass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Cut Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass, Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Oak, Walnut, Maple, Hardwood
Early 20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Composition
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
Early 2000s Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Uruguayan Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass, Art Glass