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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Murano Glass
1970s Austrian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Pottery
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Sycamore
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ash
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Wood, Beech
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Colombian Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
1940s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century British Modern Sculptures
Clay
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Silk, Wood
2010s Hungarian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Steel
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Sahrawi Modern Sculptures
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass, Metal
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
1990s Hungarian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Smoked Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Other
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass