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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s English Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Gold
1960s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Composition, Metal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Lucite
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Jade, Multi-gemstone, Rock Crystal, Gold
1950s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver, Silver Plate
1990s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Paper
1950s Unknown Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1990s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1990s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1990s Norwegian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
Late 20th Century African Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
1980s Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
1930s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather, Paper
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Amethyst, Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Felt, Oak
Early 2000s Singaporean Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
1990s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Birdseye Maple
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Early 20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood, Maple, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
1990s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Glass, Paper
1950s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Leaf