Modern Barware
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Barware
Lucite
1990s German Modern Barware
Aluminum
20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Porcelain
1990s Italian Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
2010s South American Modern Barware
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Barware
Glass
1990s Mexican Modern Barware
Malachite, Silver Plate
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Gold Plate
2010s Argentine Modern Barware
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
2010s American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
20th Century Unknown Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Barware
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Alabaster, Marble
1970s Scottish Vintage Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Barware
Silver
1980s French Vintage Modern Barware
Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Barware
Chrome
20th Century Unknown Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
20th Century English Modern Barware
Metal, Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Barware
Glass
20th Century Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
1990s American Modern Barware
Leather, Tapestry
Early 2000s English Modern Barware
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Silver Plate
1990s American Modern Barware
Gold Leaf
1990s American Modern Barware
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century American Modern Barware
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Barware
Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Barware
Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Barware
Resin, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Modern Barware
Silver, Cut Steel
1970s French Vintage Modern Barware
Wicker, Cane, Rattan, Resin, Acrylic, Lucite
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Barware
Crystal
20th Century French Modern Barware
Crystal, Metal
Mid-20th Century Modern Barware
Crystal
1950s French Vintage Modern Barware
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Barware
Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Barware
Brass
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
1980s Brazilian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Barware
Sterling Silver