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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Pewter, Metal
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Maple, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Modern Sculptures
Silver Plate
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Metal
1940s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Quartz, Steel
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Polystyrene
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Czech Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Marble, Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Metal
2010s Egyptian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Polyester, Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1990s North American Modern Sculptures
Wool, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Canadian Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Chilean Modern Sculptures
Steel
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Belgian Black Marble
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble