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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Rubber
1980s European Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Czech Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Fiberglass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1990s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Brass
20th Century Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Alabaster, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Clay
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Steel
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Cast Stone
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel, Nickel
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Wood, Leather
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s European Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lucite
1950s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century Sicilian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic