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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Belgian Black Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Cut Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Other
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Polish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Wire
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Travertine
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Plaster
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Cement, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel, Metal
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Early 20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Stoneware