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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Other
Mid-20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
20th Century South African Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1990s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Moroccan Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
2010s Australian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
Late 20th Century Israeli Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
Early 2000s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Acrylic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Israeli Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1980s Indian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
1990s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Latex
1990s German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1940s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
19th Century Antique Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Early 20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Early 20th Century British Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Chilean Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Steel
1960s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Israeli Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Fabric, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
Mid-20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Early 2000s French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Fabric, Cotton, Nylon
2010s Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 2000s Chinese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
1930s Mexican Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Silver
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Acrylic
1990s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
20th Century South African Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Animal Skin
1950s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1970s Peruvian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
20th Century European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Other
20th Century Unknown Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Coral
1940s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1940s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bronze
20th Century European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Agate, Silver, Other
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s European Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Copper