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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Resin, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
1990s European Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s Danish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Marble, Metal, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
1990s Israeli Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Brass
20th Century English Modern Sculptures
Stone, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Canadian Modern Sculptures
Stone
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Enamel, Steel
20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Pyrite
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
2010s Modern Sculptures
Copper
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Cement
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Sculptures
Plastic, Rubber
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass, Plaster, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Aluminum, Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Majolica
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Crystal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Rubber
Early 2000s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Composition
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Sculptures
Stone, Marble, Brass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Alabaster
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1990s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
Early 20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Brass
Mid-20th Century Modern Sculptures
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Sculptures
Brass
1960s Vintage Modern Sculptures
Iron
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Bronze