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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Copper, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Nickel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Gesso, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Other
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Pearlware, Fabric, Polystyrene
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Resin
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Silver
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Slate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Travertine, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Sterling Silver