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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Fiberglass, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Silver, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Composition
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Steel
2010s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Polystyrene
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Modern Sculptures
Copper
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Driftwood, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
1990s Finnish Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble
1980s African Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1950s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Early 2000s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Plywood, Paint
1990s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble, Copper