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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
Late 20th Century African Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silk
1930s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1970s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Patent Leather
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foam
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver Plate, Bronze
Early 2000s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foam
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Lucite
Early 2000s Israeli Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1970s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Lucite
1960s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
Early 2000s Central African Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Aluminum, Bronze, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
Early 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
17th Century Italian Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Olive
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather, Wood
1990s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 2000s British Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1920s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
20th Century Japanese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal
1970s Hawaiian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Cotton