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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
Early 2000s German Modern Sculptures
Wood, Paint
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Polyester, Resin
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Concrete
20th Century Mexican Modern Sculptures
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s Balkan Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1920s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Walnut
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
Late 19th Century French Antique Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Clay
Late 20th Century Hungarian Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
2010s Finnish Modern Sculptures
Ash, Maple
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Travertine
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass