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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Austrian Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Iron
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Other
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Pottery
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1940s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Malachite
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1960s Swiss Vintage Modern Sculptures
Concrete
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Plexiglass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
1970s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Pottery