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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
$1,030Sale Price / set|26% Off
Set of Three, Vintage, French, Pierrot Boudoir Doll Faces from the 1920s
Located in Vienna, Austria
What a wonderful discovery, rare Pierrot doll faces from the 1920s . All three pieces are in very good condition with minor age related flaws. These fabri...
Textile
Lukia XXIth century design wall colored decorative african ceramic mask
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Lukia Modern african decorative wall ceramic mask Original ceramic glazes colors Original perfect condition Signed and dated 2007 Height 21 cm Large 15 cm Depth 10 cm
Ceramic
"Sharp is the Action" Mask Sculpture by Dave Root, High-Fire Stoneware, Signed
Located in Kansas City, MO
From a series of masks and heads, "Sharp is the Action" is a tabletop sculpture inspired by the masks and heads made throughout Oceania. Landing in the nebulous zone between ceremony...
Stoneware
Wall Sculpture Wooden Frame Adorned Mosaic Leather Liquid Metal Artglass Backlit
By sicis
Located in London, GB
Wall sculpture with circular wooden frame, adorned with elements in lacquered wood, leather, glass mosaic, art glass and liquid metal. Backlighting system with sensor.
Metal
$800
H 12.6 in W 7.09 in D 7.88 in
Japanese Antique Tengu's Face / Objet / 1868-1912s / Wabi-sabi Mingei
Located in Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun, Iwate Prefecture
This is the old Tengu surface that was used in the Kyushu region of Japan. It is thought to be from around the Meiji period. Tengu noodles are said to be an amulet, a blessing, and...
Wood
$526 / set
H 7.49 in Dm 7.88 in
Kumba Karna Masks, Wood, Tribal Folk Art, Indonesian, Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
These Kumba Karna Masks are tribal decorative objects realized in the Indonesian island of Bali, during the second half of the 20th century. Dimensions: cm 19 x 20. Traditional...
Wood
Set of 4 Vintage Mexican Wrestling Fighters Figures
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this fantastic set of 4 Mexican wrestling fighters, made in plastic and hand painted, circa 1970. Excellent vintage conditions.
Paint, Plastic
Mid-20th Century Black Dance Mask, Guerrero, Mexico
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Mid-20th century black dance mask, Guerrero, Mexico A nice old mask from Guererro, Mexico, used in the Tlacololero Dance of the Tlactapa and probably fr...
Wood
Distressed Metal Sun Sculpture / Wall Hanging
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool handmade metal sun sculpture / wall hanging, circa 1970s. The piece is 39.5" in diameter and depicts a happy sun with a cherub face. It...
Metal
Willi Huggler Brutalist Style Carved Wood Mask
By Willi Huggler
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Carved grotesque wood mask with pierced eyes, very hooked nose, cigar between very crooked bone teeth. Label on verso reads, “Willi Huggler (Swiss, 1925...
Bone, Wood
$873
H 12.6 in W 7.09 in D 6.3 in
20th Century Antique Carved Wooden Face Mask, African Folk Art. Hangable.Decorat
Located in Berlin, DE
20th Century Antique Carved Wooden Face Mask, African Folk Art. Hangable.Decorative Solid wood, hand-carved, Africa probably 20th century The face ...
Wood
$874
H 15.75 in W 8.67 in D 7.09 in
20th Century Antique Carved Wooden Face Mask, African Folk Art. Hangable.Decorat
Located in Berlin, DE
20th Century Antique Carved Wooden Face Mask, African Folk Art. Hangable.Decorative Solid wood, hand-carved, Africa probably century The face mask ...
Wood
Mid 20th Century Hand Carved African Fertility Mask, Akan People
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very decorative fertility mask by the Baule tribe, associated with the Akan people who live both in Ghana and in the Ivory Coast. The sides with three...
Wood
Vintage Boho Pierced Metal Wall Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Discover a unique statement piece with this captivating vintage pierced metal wall sculpture, a testament to raw artistic expression from the 1970s. This striking work features a vib...
Metal
Mende Women's Helmet Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
This helmet mask created by the Mende people of Sierra Leone was made for the women of their tribe to wear while dancing. Commissioned by women for their ...
Wood
Vintage Carved Wood Mask, African Folk Art 20th Century
Located in Bochum, NRW
A hand carved wood wall mask, vintage from the 20th Century. African Folk Art. Handmade and carved from a single piece of exotic wood, in a manner specific to traditional African ar...
Wood
WWI Model of Horse Head Wearing Gas Mask
Located in Queens, NY
WWI model of a molded papier-mache brown horse head wearing a gas mask and goggles. (Can be mounted on back). One ear has former repair.
Louis Mendez Ceramic Masks, 2
Located in Astoria, NY
Louis Mendez (American, 1929-2012), Two Ceramic Art Pottery Masks, including one with horns and iridescent glaze, both signed to verso. Provenance: Property from the estate of the ar...
Ceramic
Sold
H 11.82 in W 9.85 in D 1.97 in
Gilded Sculptural Mask by Linda Hattab for Fondica, France, 1990s.
By Fondica
Located in Lille, FR
Gilded Cast Aluminium Sculptural Mask by Linda Hattab for Fondica, France, 1990s. Can be turned into a sconce.
Metal
Sold
H 7.09 in W 6.3 in D 2.37 in
Black Italian Masquerade Face or Wall Masks, Signed Ca'd'Oro Venezia 1982
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A set of ceramic masquerade wall masks (male+female) made in Venice in 1982 and bought in the museum shop at Galleria Giorgio Franchetti that houses in the famous Ca'd'Oro at the Gra...
Pottery
Pair of Carved Modernist Plaster Mask Sculptures
Located in New York, NY
Pair / of carved modernist plaster mask sculptures mounted on painted black metal bases and supported stand. Bali, Indonesia, circa 1970s Size: 32...
Plaster