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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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
Ceramic
1990s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
1990s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Chrome, Aluminum
Early 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
1970s English Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stoneware
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ebony
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ebony
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1940s Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Fiberglass, Wood
1930s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Stainless Steel
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood
2010s Dutch Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
20th Century North American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Oak, Maple
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum, Chrome
2010s Austrian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
Early 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
1960s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Slate, Chrome
Early 2000s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 2000s Czech Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Steel
Late 20th Century North American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood