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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
1980s Belgian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bamboo, Wood
Early 20th Century Hungarian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Pottery
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Ukrainian Modern Sculptures
Wood, Oak, Ash
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Steel
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Stone
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Composition
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite, Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Chrome
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
18th Century Italian Antique Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Bronze, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass