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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Turkish Modern Sculptures
Stone, Metal
2010s Colombian Modern Sculptures
Natural Fiber
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Gold, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Travertine, Stone
2010s Turkish Modern Sculptures
Pine
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Quartz
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Oak
2010s Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Plywood
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin
20th Century Modern Sculptures
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Unknown Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Other
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Jute, Wood
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Natural Fiber
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Pine
Early 20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Korean Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin