Modern Sculptures and Carvings
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Copper
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
2010s French Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Porcelain, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wicker, Rattan
2010s American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Porcelain, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Indonesian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Acrylic
2010s American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Sheepskin, Wool, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Thai Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Blown Glass
2010s French Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Silk, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
1970s Belgian Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Belgian Black Marble
2010s French Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Silk, Wood
Early 2000s Indonesian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Stone, Metal
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Oak
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Iron
20th Century English Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Marble
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Metal, Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s English Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Fiberglass
1960s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Gold Leaf
Early 20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Slovak Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Walnut
20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood, Maple
1960s Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Copper
2010s Turkish Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Olive
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Iron
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wicker
1980s American Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Copper
Late 20th Century French Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Granite
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Wood
1970s French Vintage Modern Sculptures and Carvings
Metal