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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Wire
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Amethyst, Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Earthenware
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Rubber
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Gold
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin, Lucite
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Onyx
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Carrara Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Organic Material
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal