Modern Folk Art
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Wood, Foam, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Wood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Folk Art
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Folk Art
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Cotton
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Folk Art
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Brass
20th Century Mexican Modern Folk Art
Brass, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Folk Art
Ceramic
1970s German Vintage Modern Folk Art
Wood, Velvet
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Ceramic
Early 20th Century Cameroonian Modern Folk Art
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Folk Art
Wood, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Folk Art
Resin, Wood
2010s Indonesian Modern Folk Art
Wool, Acrylic
Early 2000s Australian Modern Folk Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Brass
1910s North American Vintage Modern Folk Art
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
2010s American Modern Folk Art
Sheepskin, Wool, Mahogany
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Fabric
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Fabric, Cotton
Early 2000s Danish Modern Folk Art
Acrylic
2010s Mexican Modern Folk Art
Resin, Wood
1990s Australian Modern Folk Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Turkish Modern Folk Art
Wool
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather
Early 2000s Australian Modern Folk Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Folk Art
Hardwood, Walnut
20th Century British Modern Folk Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Folk Art
Paper
1970s French Vintage Modern Folk Art
Ceramic
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Horn, Wool, Glass, Mirror
20th Century North American Modern Folk Art
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Chrome
20th Century British Modern Folk Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Folk Art
Wool
Mid-20th Century Modern Folk Art
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Folk Art
Leather, Wood
20th Century Philippine Modern Folk Art
2010s French Modern Folk Art
Glass