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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Stoneware
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
1990s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1990s Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Stone, Sandstone
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Thai Modern Sculptures
Marble, Stone, Bronze, Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Sculptures
Concrete
1990s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Plaster
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Czech Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
1930s Brazilian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass, Scagliola, Stucco, Burlap
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Walnut, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass