Modern Obelisks

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 The Modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 principles 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, and the Eames’s 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 designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
2010s African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Obelisks
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Obelisks
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Obelisks
Gold
1990s South American Modern Obelisks
Crystal
Early 2000s American Modern Obelisks
Crystal, Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Obelisks
Glass
2010s African Modern Obelisks
Wood
2010s African Modern Obelisks
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Obelisks
Wood
Late 20th Century Indian Modern Obelisks
Marble, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Obelisks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Obelisks
Wood
20th Century Modern Obelisks
Malachite
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Marble
Early 2000s Italian Modern Obelisks
Murano Glass
20th Century Modern Obelisks
Alabaster, Marble, Stone, Onyx
20th Century Modern Obelisks
Stone, Amethyst, Amethyst
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Stone, Crystal, Rock Crystal, Travertine, Marble
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Modern Obelisks
Gold Leaf
2010s African Modern Obelisks
Wood
2010s African Modern Obelisks
Wood
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Hardwood
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Hardwood, Copper, Acrylic, Brass, Glass, Resin
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Suede, Brass
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Resin, Hardwood
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Hardwood, Brass, Resin
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Steel
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Leather, Brass
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Fabric, Walnut
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Walnut, Fabric
2010s South African Modern Obelisks
Brass, Crocodile, Walnut
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Marble
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Obelisks
Mirror
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Obelisks
Onyx, Marble
Early 20th Century Chinese Modern Obelisks
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Marble
20th Century French Modern Obelisks
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Obelisks
Ceramic
1980s American Vintage Modern Obelisks
Acrylic, Lucite
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Obelisks
Art Glass
1970s American Vintage Modern Obelisks
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Obelisks
Acrylic
20th Century American Modern Obelisks
Metal