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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Concrete
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Felt, Plaster
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Hardwood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Stainless Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s African Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ebony
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Acrylic, Fiberglass, Plaster
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
1990s Hungarian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Smoked Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Limestone, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain