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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Sculptures
Wood
1980s Zimbabwean Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Finnish Modern Sculptures
Gold
2010s Indian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Sculptures
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Sculptures
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Iron, Wrought Iron
1970s Canadian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Sculptures
Olive
Early 2000s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s German Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Sculptures
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Rubber, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Stone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin, Paper
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Modern Sculptures
Copper