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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Sculptures
Glass, Acrylic
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Onyx
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Mahogany
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Metal
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Cement
2010s Modern Sculptures
Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ash, Maple, Oak, Teak, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Chrome
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Sheet Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Belgian Modern Sculptures
Stone, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Resin
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Stone
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Steel
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Chrome
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Travertine, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Paint
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Iron
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Metal, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1990s German Modern Sculptures
Bronze