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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
Early 20th Century Rwandan Modern Sculptures
Wood
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Iron
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
2010s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Oak
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel, Aluminum
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Plastic
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Opaline Glass, Resin
20th Century Austrian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Austrian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Fabric, Faux Leather, Plastic, Paper
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Silver
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass, Lacquer
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1930s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass