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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Korean Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Velvet, Polyester
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Philippine Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century Belarusian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Australian Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood, Paint
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Rubber, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Paint, Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1980s Zimbabwean Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Limestone, Stainless Steel
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Lebanese Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Limestone, Stone, Stainless Steel
2010s Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Composition
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
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