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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass, Murrine, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Marble
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Metal
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Glass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Quartz, Rock Crystal, Other
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Sculptures
Rock Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass, Plastic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Birch
20th Century Czech Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Malachite, Gold Plate, Bronze
Late 20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Brass
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Organic Material, Paper
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass, Chrome, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Walnut
1980s German Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Gesso, Resin
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
1960s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Malachite, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Afghan Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Other
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Pottery, Scrap Wood, Reclaimed Wood, Walnut, Hardwood, Wood
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Iron
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Olive
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Gold Leaf
1990s American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal