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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1920s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
18th Century and Earlier Central American Antique Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Resin, Polyester, Plaster
1990s Finnish Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Art Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Stone, Iron, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Oak, Fabric
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Rose Quartz
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Chinese Modern Sculptures
Coral
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Oak, Fabric, Bouclé
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass