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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Greek Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Terracotta
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Oak
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Sculptures
Stone
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Wood, Beech
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Austrian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Silk, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Gold
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli, Quartz, Gold
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Cement
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
20th Century South American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Opaline Glass, Resin
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Glass