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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Iron
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
1960s Argentine Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Czech Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Earthenware
Late 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
1930s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lapis Lazuli, Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Iron
Early 2000s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Earthenware
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Milk Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Pottery, Wood, Hardwood, Walnut, Reclaimed Wood, Scrap Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Brazilian Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal, Wrought Iron
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
1930s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Iron
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Tourmaline, Other
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Wire
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze