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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Gesso
2010s Modern Sculptures
Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Wool
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1960s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 19th Century American Antique Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Ceramic
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
Early 2000s English Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sculptures
Wood, Ash, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Rock Crystal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Silver
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel, Wire
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Brass