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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Swiss Modern Sculptures
Wood, Maple
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
1970s German Vintage Modern Sculptures
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Composition
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century British Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Steel
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Steel
Early 2000s French Modern Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Pine, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Fabric, Faux Leather, Plastic, Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Stone, Alabaster
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Steel
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1950s Austrian Vintage Modern Sculptures
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Wood
2010s Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin, Fiberglass, Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Cement, Metal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Metal