Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
to
277
540
455
968
61
36
1,990
1,065
987
309
199
179
163
89
82
78
54
42
38
32
23
22
7
11
957
97
28
629
195
1
2
19
17
30
123
218
97
45
23
275
224
192
189
121
566
344
298
229
80
1,065
1,005
1,045
42
41
38
19
18
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Creative Playthings Seesaw
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Creative Playthings rocker made of a light, warm birch plywood. Designed in 1964 by Gloria Caranica, this rocking horse predecessor is a per...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Birch, Bentwood, Plywood, Wood
Otto & Gertrud Natzler Signed Volcanic Glazed Mid-Century Modern Large Bowl 1936
Located in Studio City, CA
A masterful early work by famed potters Otto and Gertrud Natzler. This round-shaped footed bowl was delicately hand thrown and formed by Gertrud and glazed by Otto with one of his famed early volcanic glazes. The bowl captures your attention from all angles. Rare and stunning.
This work is sure to give aesthetic pleasure for years to come and would be an amazing addition to any Natzler or modern ceramic...
Category
1930s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Earthenware
Vintage Christmas Big Nutcracker, Wood, Erzgebirge, Germany, 1970
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Wooden nutcracker figure from the Erzgebirge. The region Erzgebirge formerly Eastern Germany is famous for this special kind of nutcrackers, where intricate carving has been their ho...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Mexican Copper Brass and Abalone Grasshopper Centerpiece Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Hand-wrought circa 1960s copper and brass grasshopper centerpiece sculpture with abalone inlay eyes and legs. Signed underneath, COBRE MEXICO.
Also ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Brass, Copper
Mid-Century Rope Pendant Chandelier Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Rope sphere pendant or chandelier Audoux Minet, circa 1960 with white opaline glass.
Height / 13" the lamp ,total 25.5" with the rope, diameter / 12 inches.
Nautical style.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Rope, Glass
Vintage Christmas Nutcracker Wood, Erzgebirge, Germany, 1970s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Big wooden nutcracker figure from the Erzgebirge. The region Erzgebirge formerly Eastern Germany is famous for this special kind of nutcrackers, where intricate carving has been thei...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Jacques Migeon Grey Stoneware Ceramic Tea Pot La Borne 1970 Design Unique Piece
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Jacques Migeon - La Borne
20th grey stoneware ceramic tea pot
Unique handmade piece
French mid century design
Signed under the base
Original perfect condition
Heigh...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Vintage Christmas Small Red Nutcracker, Wood, Erzgebirge, Germany, 1970
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Wooden nutcracker figure from the Erzgebirge. The region Erzgebirge formerly Eastern Germany is famous for this special kind of nutcrackers, where intricate carving has been their ho...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Doug Ayers Signed California Artist Organic Natural Wood Turned Weed Vase Vessel
By Doug Ayers
Located in Studio City, CA
A very beautifully made and sculpted wood-turned weed pot vase by famed American/California (Mendocino, CA) artist/ sculptor Doug Ayers. The organic wood grain and shifting colors ar...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Walnut
Ken Price Signed Midcentury Modern California Studio Pottery Vase Vessel 1956
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful work by famed American/ California potter/ artist Ken Price.
This an earlier work done while he was at USC in 1956.
Signed and noted "USC 1956" on the underside of ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stoneware
Dora De Larios Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Large Vase
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeous, rare, and unique large stoneware vase by famed Mexican American California studio art potter Dora De Larios.
De Larios was born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents. She grew up in the artistic Silver Lake district near downtown Los Angeles amongst Mexican and Nisei Japanese immigrants. As a result, De Larios was heavily influenced by ancient American...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stoneware
Mid-Century Modern Lava Glazed Blue Ceramic California Studio Pottery Plate
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully designed and blue lava crater glazed studio pottery plate in the style of Mid-Century California master potters Beatrice Wood, Glen Lukens, and Otto and Gertrud Natzler. The sumptuous glaze is quite something - especially on the verso of the plate.
From a Los Angeles ceramics...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery
Italian Giant Clamshell Swan by Gabriella Binazzi
Located in Voorburg, NL
This beautiful large clamshell swan is designed and handmade by Gabriella Binazzi. She creates original and unique objects using strange materials such...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Silver Plate
Modernist Marble and Stone Sculpture by David F.Soule
By Henry Moore, David F. Soule
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist marble and stone sculpture by David F. Soule, hand-carved, wonderfully executed, trapizoid shape stone base, mounted carved and polished marble sphere, stunning.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stone, Marble
Otto and Gertrud Natzler Signed Monumental Bowl with Original Paper Label, 1958
Located in Studio City, CA
A masterful work by famed potters Otto and Gertrud Natzler. This monumentally large round-shaped footed bowl was wheel thrown and formed by Ge...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Earthenware
Folk Art Mid-Century Modern Blown Red Art Glass Face Masks, México
Located in Miami, FL
Mid-Century Modern Folk Art blown red glass face masks made in México.
O-602-335
Category
1970s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Blown Glass
Carved And Painted Wood Sunburst Bust
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A striking Mid Century Sunburst with a central benign Goddess type face with staggered red and gray painted curved rays. They frame the high relief face with wavy brown hair and pain...
Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Peter Voulkos Signed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Plate Charger
Located in Studio City, CA
A fantastic, freeform, large, heavy plate/ charger by American master potter Peter Voulkos who is known for his abstract expressionist ceramic pottery pieces and sculptures. Very unique and scarce work with rare use of color. Very hard to come by. One of our personal favorites along with the Chawan tea bowl.
Signed on base and dated (1961) by Voulkos. This was made during one of his most magical and experimental phases.
From of Private Collection, New York.
Voulkos is widely considered to be the most important and impactful ceramist of the modern era. He won the Rodin Museum Prize at the first Paris Biennale in 1959 and was the winner of a Guggenheim fellowship in 1984. Voulkos received the College Art Association’s Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. He was made an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 2001. He also received six honorary
doctorate degrees as well as three National Endowment for the Arts awards.
His work can be found in many prominent collections and museums including:
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Nagoya, Japan
Albany Mall, Albany, New York
American Museum of Ceramic Art...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stoneware
Thomas Dewey & Harry Truman 1948 Presidential Election Campaign Collage
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Presented is a unique commemorative collage, celebrating the 1948 U.S. presidential election between Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey. This one-of-a-kind collage features a Harry Truman signed...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Metal
La Borne Brown Stoneware Ceramic Table Lamp 20th Century Design 1970
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
La Borne
Unique handmade piece, stoneware ceramic table lamp
Brown stoneware ceramic color
Original perfect condition
Circa 1970
Measures: Height 23 cm
Height with el...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Ceramic Sculptural Wall Plaque by F. Sanchez for Peregnem
By Perignem
Located in Voorburg, NL
Unique 1950s sculptural Perignem ceramic wall plaque made by F. Sanchez (signed). This beauty comes in charcoal black with sophisticated red and green colors. Signed on the backside ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Laura Andreson Signed Glazed Mid-Century Modern California Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderfully crafted and beautifully glazed bowl by renowned American California master potter Laura Andreson. An uncommon form for Andreson with a high gloss glaze featuring a dark ocean deep blue / aqua color with delicate splashes of greens. Gorgeous in its Mid-Century Modern design.
Signed on the base by Andreson (and stamped).
A special and scarce work. Would be a great addition to any midcentury ceramics/ pottery collection or a very eye-catching stand-alone accent work in about any setting. This piece has a fantastic feel and heft to it.
Andreson, who studied under Glen Lukens, founded and headed the ceramics department at UCLA from 1933 to 1970. Her work can be found in many collections and museums worldwide including:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Smithsonian Museum of American Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Walker Art Center
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art.
Her exhibitions include:
1937 Rene Rosenthal Gallery, New York City, New York
1938 First California Ceramic Exhibition, San Diego, California
1940 Honolulu Academy of Art
1947 Eleventh National Ceramics Exhibition, Metropolitan Museum of Art
1970 Fredric Art Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
1970 Laguna Beach Art Gallery
1971 Mills College Art Gallery, Oakland, California
1971 Hoover Art Gallery, San Francisco, California
1971 San Diego Fine Arts Gallery, San Diego, California
1971 Utah State University, Logan, Utah
1972 Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California
1972 Ceramics West, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
1972 Ogden Art Center, Ogden, Utah
1972 Bower Museum, Santa Ana, California
1973 Utah Museum of Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Utah
1973 Clay and Fiber Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
1973 California Crafts VIII, Crocker Art Gallery, Sacramento, California
1974 California Ceramics...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Earthenware
Large Modern Abstract Oil on Canvas "Sound Wave" by Carlo of Hollywood
Located in Buffalo, NY
Large modern abstract oil on canvas 'Sound Wave' by Carlo of Hollywood.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Canvas
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging gorgeously glazed Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a Tenmoku glaze with an a...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Porcelain, Pottery
California Design Stoneware Weed Pot / Vase by Wayne Chapman
By Wayne Chapman
Located in San Diego, CA
An absolutely stunning California design stoneware weed pot / vase by noted San Diego, CA potter Wayne Chapman, circa 1970. The pot is in very good vinta...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Pottery, Stoneware
Lane Gordon Thorlaksson Canadian Studio Pottery Bowl with Stand
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stunning Canadian studio pottery miniature bowl decorated in yellow glazes with an associated pottery stand by Lane Gordon Thorlaksson (Canadian, 1937-2009) dated 1976.
Lane Gordon Thorlaksson was born in 1937 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and moved to Vancouver as a child. In his twenties, he represented Canada in the 1959 Chicago Pan-American Games, running alongside Henry 'Harry' Winston Jerome in both the 100 yard and 220-yard dash. Following this, he attended San Jose University of California and in 1966 received a BFA in Ceramics.
Working with clay was Thorlaksson’s passion. He was fascinated with Asian ceramics, in particular the Song dynasty Chinese pot forms and glazes. In 1985, the Mayor of Vancouver, Mike Harcourt, visited China on a goodwill mission for the twinning of Vancouver with Guangzhou China. As gifts, he took with him several of Thorlaksson’s ceramics and presented them to Cao Yun-ping, Secretary-General of the People's Municipal Government of Guangzhou. The pieces were well received and local Chinese potters were interested to learn about his glazing techniques.
In 1987, Thorlaksson was invited to visit China’s Guangzhou University to exhibit more of his work. He was aided in this exchange by Joanne Mah, the Director of Intercultural Training and Educational Consultants (ITEC), who had worked with the Harcourt exchange. In 1988, she and her husband sponsored a pre-gallery showing of Thorlaksson’s ceramics at the ITEC’s Hong Kong office, prior to an exhibition at Alvin Gallery in Hong Kong. Thorlaksson was celebrated and introduced to academics and the media, including the head of ceramics at the Guangzhou Institute of Fine Arts. Local Chinese potters were eager to learn about his firing techniques, which used multiple firings to create special glaze characteristics. They were also intrigued to understand how he designed his own stands as an integrated part of his presentation. Unlike Asian potters who used wooden stands, Thorlaksson produced his stands in clay, matching each stand in aesthetic and tone to its pot. This two-part process elevated his pieces to sculpture. He believed that ceramics should be viewed as fine art and not craft. He was inspired by the female form and was quoted as saying 'Most potters make pots; I make parts of people'.
The bowl is of wide squat rounded form with a fold over rim and is decorated in pale yellow glazes over a brown ground and stands on a narrow round unglazed foot. The design is probably based and inspired by a Chinese brush washer...
Category
1970s Canadian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Pottery
Mixed Materials Wall Decoration Sculpture by Johannes Wilhelmus Van Dartelen
By Johannes Wilhelmus van Dartelen
Located in Buffalo, NY
Johannes Wilhelmus Van Dartelen copper art fossilized stone signed Brazil made and presented for the crew of the Pan American.
This is a one of a kind piece of art by Johannes...
Category
1970s Brazilian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stone, Copper
Jean Da Milano, Painting, France, circa 2000
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Jean Da Milano (1928-2017), painting,
Creased paper,
Signed lower right,
circa 2000, France.
Measures: Height 115 cm, Width 90 cm
Jean Da Milano is an abstract painter from Nice who was cradled by the rich breeding ground of the School of Nice and its artists.
Active from the 1960s to the 2008s, his works were forgotten and rediscovered by the HARTER Gallery, which today highlights his touch.
According to Agnès Roux, Honorary Secretary for Culture, “Jean Da Milano is one of those modest painters who knew how to develop abstract painting alongside his contemporaries. In an infinite world, the Kinetic object on an astral background gradually transforms into a pictorial relief, where the painting falsely becomes painting and invisibly paper. The humility of its formats does not give the work the fullness it deserves. But the almighty gaze of the spectator engenders the feelings and sensations of a cosmogonic painting steeped in universality ".
We indeed observe in his work an evolution which begins with an almost cosmic painting in the 70s, then what we could qualify as “implosions” in the 80s and finally, a real research on paper and pictorial relief. in the 2000s.
According to Georges Braque "Everyone is a creator, the viewer is himself a creator, it is the way of seeing that gives life to the object. "
Personal exhibitions:
- 1992: Golden Gallery Nice
- 1988: Acropolis Nice
- 1982: Municipal Gallery Renoir Nice
- 1977: Municipal Museum Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Collective exhibitions:
- 1992: Golden Gallery
- 1991: Golden Gallery
- 1990: Golden Gallery - Art Jonction
- 1989: Nice university center
- 1987: Acropolis
- 1985: Chapel of Mercy Vallauris
- 1984: CIAC Paris and Chapelle des Pénitents in Péone
- 1983: Art Expo Dallas Texas and Art Expo New York
- 1980: Galerie Waterlot Nice
- 1971: Necrolium Nice
- 1970: Maison de la Culture Magnan Nice and Musée de la Salle Marine Nice
- 1969: Galerie Le Nombre d´Or Nice
- 1968: Musée de la Salle Marine Nice and Galerie Salmon Nice
- 1966: Paul Langevin Biot school group
- 1965: Chapelle St Esprit...
Category
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Paper
A large painting by Moacir Andrade, Brazil, 1960s "A Lenda Do Pacu"
By Moacir Andrade
Located in London, GB
A large stunning painting from the legendary Amazonian artist Moacir Andrade "A Lenda Do Pacu" (The legend of the Pacu)
Acrylic on canvas depicting a central Pacu which is a lar...
Category
1960s Brazilian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood
Swedish Burl Wood Sculpture
Located in Antwerpen, BE
A large Swedish sculptural object made from burl wood. Hand carved form an ornamented inside, with Natural knotholes to add to the sculptural appeal of the work. This object is unsig...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Burl
French Burnt Orange Oil on Canvas Painting by Pierre Coquet, 1960s
Located in Chicago, IL
A 1960s oil on canvas painting by French artist Pierre Coquet. This textured abstract features fluid, geometric motifs in burnt orange with brown accents. Signed ‘P. Coquet’ bottom r...
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Canvas, Paint
1950’s Enamel and Neon TV Sign
Located in Chicago, IL
1950’s enamel and glass TV sign. It has new transformer and new wiring. There will be Additional fee for shipping crate.
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Enamel
Walking Stick W/ Faux Burled Wood Handle and Black Enameled Body
Located in New York, NY
This Walking Stick in Faux Walnut and black enamel originates from the United States during the 20th Century. Features a lovely sculptural handle in faux walnut, leading to a brass f...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Aluminum, Enamel
White and Brown 20th Century Ceramic Vase circa 1970
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
French handmade ceramic
Original stoneware ceramic vase with white and brown colors
Original perfect condition
Circa 1970
Measures:...
Category
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Square Mirror Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet, circa 1960
Located in Austin, TX
Square Mirror Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet, circa 1960.
Seagrass rope braided.
19.5 inches on 19.5 inches.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Mirror, Seagrass
Vintage Belgian Tile Faced Entry Door Pull Handle by Juliette Belarti
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Architectural door pull by Belgian ceramic tile artist Juliette Belarti.
Vintage midcentury Belgian tile faced entry door pull handle.
Mid-Centu...
Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Rare and Unusual Mid-Century Modern Beni Ouarain Wool Berber Rug
Located in Milan, IT
The Beni Ouarain confederation is composed of seventeen tribes inhabiting the high mountain region of the northeastern Middle Atlas. Their rugs differ from other Berber weavings in t...
Category
1940s Moroccan Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wool
Beatrice Wood Signed Iridescent Luster Glaze California Studio Pottery Face Vase
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful gem of a piece by famed American/California ceramicist Beatrice Wood featuring her highly coveted iridescent luster glaze and highly desi...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Earthenware
Mid-Century Rope Lamp Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Midcentury rope lamp by Audoux Minet, circa 1960.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Rope, Plastic
Set of 10 Traditional Antique Button Soccer Game Figures, circa 1950
Located in Barcelona, ES
Set of ten table button soccer game players. Traditional figures used to play this classic button Spanish game. Manufactured in Spain, circa 1950. In original condition, with ...
Category
1950s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Paper
Paul Ami Bonifas Signed Large Early Mid-Century Swiss Studio Pottery Art Bowl
By Paul Bonifas
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly gorgeous and wonderfully crafted large art bowl by Swiss American sculptor/artist/ceramicist Paul Ami Bonifas (1893-1967). The glaze on this par...
Category
1930s Swiss Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stoneware
Set of Two Antique Traditional Spanish Rag Doll, circa 1920
Located in Barcelona, ES
Antique early 20th century pair of hand painted rag dolls of a man and a woman. Manufactured circa 1920 in Spain. In original condition, with wear consistent with age and use,...
Category
1920s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Fabric
Children Rocking Wooden Toy
Located in Antwerp, BE
Very beautiful children's rocking chair in beech plywood minimalist craftsmanship the design of the rocking chair is essentially a nod to the shape of a swinging banana!
Category
1950s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Bentwood
Los Castillo Mexican Multi Metal Leaf Pitcher
By Los Castillo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Multiple metal philodendron leaf handle pitcher by Mexican Designer Los Castillo - the pitcher is made of four metals that appear to be, Copper, Silver, Brass and Nickel. The Pitcher...
Category
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Silver, Brass, Copper
Vintage Christmas nutcracker wood figure, Erzgebirge Germany 1970
Located in Praha, CZ
Vintage wooden nutcracker figurine from the Ore Mountains.
The Erzgebirge region, formerly East Germany, is famous for this special type of nutcracker,
where their home is a special...
Category
1970s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Doug Ayers Signed California Artist Midcentury Organic Wood Turned Vase Sculpure
By Doug Ayers
Located in Studio City, CA
A very beautifully made, organic natural wood-turned weed vase by famed American / California (Mendocino, CA) artist/ sculptor Doug Ayers. This work has such a great heft and textur...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Mid-Century Pair of Rope & Wood Stool Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Pair of Audoux Minet rope stool with wood base.
Height / 10.2inches.
Diameter / 11 inches.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Fabric, Rope, Wood
Mid-Century Round Rope Mirror Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Round nautical rope mirror Audoux Minet, circa 1960.
Rare dark brown color.
Size: 15 inches diameter.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Rope, Mirror
Mid-Century Mermaid Rope Lamp Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Midcentury mermaid rope lamp by Audoux Minet
Measures: Height / 13.5".
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Rope
Vallauris Tiles Guitare Poulbot by R. Leduc Midcentury Studio Pottery, France
Located in Labrit, Landes
Vallauris R. Leduc Poulbot with Guitare on tiles, circa 1970, France
The theme of the "poulbot" was frequently declined by Raymonde Leduc with many variants.
The name "poulbot" des...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Faience
Antique American Amusement Park Motorcycle Painted Carousel Carnival Ride 1940s
Located in Portland, OR
Antique American carnival amusement park, carousel motorcycle ride, from the late 1940s.
A fabulous late 1940s motorcycle carousel ride, the motorcycle body is made of wood and is ha...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Steel, Iron
Gloria Caranica for Creative Playthings Cradle
Located in Hanover, MA
Molded plywood doll cradle by Gloria Caranica for Creative Playthings, circa 1956.
Creative playthings of Princeton, NJ was founded in 1949 by Frank & The...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Plywood
Putaway, Vintage Toy Chest in Lacquered Metal, circa 1960
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Putaway, vintage toy chest in lacquered metal, circa 1960.
Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Metal
Harrison Mcintosh Signed Mid-Century Modern Set of 6 Pottery Sake Liqueur Cups
Located in Studio City, CA
An exquisitely formed and deeply blue glazed set of six ceramic sake/ liqueur cups by renowned American West Coast Californian master ceramist Harrison McIntosh who was famed for his Mid-Century Modern designed ceramics.
Mcintosh's works have been exhibited in such acclaimed venues as the Smithsonian in the United States the Louvre in France. Over his more than 60-year career, McIntosh had some 43 solo exhibitions from Los Angeles, New York, Belgium, Cannes, France to Japan. His work can be found in numerous collections and museums throughout the world including:
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
The National Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California
The Huntington Library, San Marino, California
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, New York
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona
Belgian...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Mid-Century Modern Drip Glaze Studio Ceramic Pottery Table Lamp
Located in Studio City, CA
A fantastic piece, beautifully colored and designed. Caught our eye right away.
Would stand out in about any setting, modern or otherwise.
Comes as shown. Needs lamp shade.
...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic, Pottery
Mid-Century Wood & Rope Oval Gueridon Adrien Audoux & Frida Minet
Located in Austin, TX
Oval Mid-Century wood & rope gueridon Audoux Minet, Circa 1960.
Height / 19 inches.
Diameter / 23 inches by 15.5 inches.
Category
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Metal
Horn Sailing Boat Figurine
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Set sail into a sea of style with this extraordinary mid-century style horn ship or sailboat accessory, a piece that promises to captivate and intrigue. This unique item is an artful...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Brass
Dora De Larios Signed Mexican American California Studio Pottery Sculpture Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully designed and gorgeously executed sculpture/footed bowl by famed Mexican-American California studio art potter Dora De Larios featuring and Pacific West Coast oceanic de...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Folk Art
Materials
Stoneware
Mid-century Modern folk art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern folk art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage folk art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern folk art made in a specific country, there are Europe, North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original folk art, popular names associated with this style include Albert Chubac, Adrien Audoux and Frida Minnet, La Borne Potters, and Beatrice Wood. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for folk art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $41 and tops out at $64,764 while the average work can sell for $1,325.