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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Acrylic, Fiberglass, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Canadian Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Cedar, Fir
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Resin
2010s Austrian Modern Sculptures
Parchment Paper
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Stone
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Travertine, Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Chrome
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel, Metal
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Metal
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s English Modern Sculptures
Clay, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Rubber
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Lucite
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Russian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Clay
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Rubber
1940s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Glass
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
1990s Italian Modern Sculptures
Travertine, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Lacquer
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Composition





