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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Iron
20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Organic Material, Paper
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Chrome
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
19th Century Ivorian Antique Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Pottery, Wood, Hardwood, Walnut, Reclaimed Wood, Scrap Wood
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Israeli Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
Early 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1940s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other