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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s European Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Israeli Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Swedish Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s African Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ebony
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stone
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plexiglass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1930s Belgian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Driftwood, Burl
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint, Mirror
1970s German Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Cut Steel
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Austrian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement