Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
2010s Balinese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
Early 2000s North American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Granite, Marble
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Argentine Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin
1960s South African Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s Moroccan Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silk
2010s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1930s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver Plate, Spelter
20th Century European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold, Sterling Silver, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone, Metal
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 2000s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic, Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Slate, Metal, Gold Plate
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood, Hardwood, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Plexiglass
1970s European Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
Early 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper