Modern Taxidermy
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 American Modern Taxidermy
Crystal, Gold Leaf
20th Century South African Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary Pacific Islands Modern Taxidermy
Other
20th Century South African Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
20th Century South African Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
20th Century South African Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
20th Century South African Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Metal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Feathers
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Feathers
20th Century Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin, Wood
2010s Modern Taxidermy
Crystal
Mid-20th Century German Modern Taxidermy
Wood, Antler
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Taxidermy
Rock Crystal
Early 20th Century French Modern Taxidermy
Brass
Late 19th Century German Antique Modern Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Fur, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Taxidermy
Fur, Wood
1950s American Vintage Modern Taxidermy
Brass
2010s Danish Modern Taxidermy
Brass
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Modern Taxidermy
Antler, Wood
Early 20th Century European Modern Taxidermy
Animal Skin
Late 20th Century American Modern Taxidermy
Crystal
20th Century Modern Taxidermy
Fur
20th Century Modern Taxidermy
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Taxidermy
Glass, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Taxidermy
Other
2010s Australian Modern Taxidermy
Crystal, Other
1990s English Modern Taxidermy
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Taxidermy
Wood, Feathers
1990s English Modern Taxidermy
1980s South African Vintage Modern Taxidermy
Zebra Hide
1980s South African Vintage Modern Taxidermy
Zebra Hide
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Taxidermy
1980s South African Vintage Modern Taxidermy
Zebra Hide