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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Foam
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Gold Leaf
2010s Greek Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Plywood
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Hemp, Rope
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
1990s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin, Epoxy Resin
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Stone
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Leather
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Bronze, Enamel
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Art Glass, Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Stone, Iron, Wire
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1960s Argentine Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Cement, Concrete
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze