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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Finnish Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Crystal
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Chrome
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Dutch Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Granite, Steel, Cut Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Porcelain, Acrylic
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1990s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century German Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Malachite, Vermeil, Silver
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Sculptures
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Belgian Modern Sculptures
Clay
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Sculptures
Beech
1990s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1940s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s Polish Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Enamel
Early 2000s Dutch Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Crystal
1980s African Vintage Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Sculptures
Sandstone
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Resin, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Metal
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Paper
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Steel, Iron
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
20th Century Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Silver
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Marble
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Sculptures
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Leather, Wood