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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Spanish Modern Sculptures
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Metal
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Granite, Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
20th Century Belarusian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass, Gold Leaf
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Plywood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1960s Peruvian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Sterling Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Silver Plate
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Copper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin, Epoxy Resin
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Plywood
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Cement
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Multi-gemstone
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass