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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Other
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Onyx
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Clay
Early 2000s Greek Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bamboo, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli, Multi-gemstone, Pyrite, Silver, Brass
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Polyester, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Sculptures
Gold
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Enamel
1920s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s Greek Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century Polish Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
1990s Polish Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1940s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Rubber
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Mirror, Reclaimed Wood, Paint
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1990s German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Paper