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Modern Contemporary Art

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Style: Modern
Andrew Mandolene, Pink Purge, Abstract Hard Edge Painting, 2020
Located in Cathedral City, CA
Andrew Mandolene ”Pink Purge” Acrylic on canvas Unframed Signed at lower right AM, 20. Due to the Size of this painting it is recommended to hang on D-rings. D-rings are mounted on the stretcher on back of painting for hanging purposes, ANDREW MANDOLENE (b. 1960) Andrew Mandolene is one of those rare talents, who hadn’t picked up a paint brush in 40 years since graduating from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After a successful career as an Art Director, he determinedly took to the canvas in 2020 as though he had been painting for years developing a style that he felt certain defined him as a unique artist. Mandolene’s style of painting evolves from his sensibility of scale, form and color. The tension felt in his compositions combined with that strong color sense keeps him up at night with excitement. His creative space is shared in a Palm Springs warehouse with his other passion.Classic car collecting...
Category

2010s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Stylish Artistic Mosaic Handmade Gold or Platinum Leaf
Located in London, GB
Making artistic Mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass Mosaic collections, all this allowed us to produce and divu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Aluminum, Platinum, Gold Leaf

"Three of a Kind" Black & White Photography Gelatin SilverPrint A.Maria Cortesão
By Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau
Located in Coimbra, PT
"Three of a Kind" Street Photography /2000, Portugal / Analog camera photo / B&W 35 mm film. 400 iso / Gelatin Silver Print Signed, titled, negative date & print date on verso. PLE...
Category

Early 2000s Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Other

"Blue Tree, " Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble

Barenca, 1994, Spain., Set of Four Lithography about Bull Fight
Located in Miami, FL
Barenca, 1994, Spain. Set of four lithography about bull fight. The art of - rejoneo A pair of stabs The bullfight. Measurements only lithography without frame: 9*7.    
Category

Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Contemporary Art

Hand Signed Lithography 'The museum' by Vastian
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Hand signed lithography by Vastian, Spanish contemporary artist. 'The museum', 2010. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful pati...
Category

2010s Spanish Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

Framed Cyanotype Photograph by John Patrick Dugdale
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist: John Patrick Dugdale (New York, b. 1960) Title: Bacchus in Repose Medium: Cyanotype Year: 1997 Edition: number 5/10 Measurement: Sight H 14", W 11"; with artist fame H 19.25"...
Category

1990s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

Abstract Oil Painting by William Stebbins
By William Stebbins
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Oil painting on canvas by Chicago artist, William Stebbins. The painting features bright blues and purple tones alongside warm yellow and orange tones. Signed by the artist. Dimensi...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Artistic Mosaic Handmade Dimension and Colors Customizable
Located in London, GB
Making artistic mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass mosaic collections, all this allowed us to produce and divu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Aluminum

James Strombotne, Acrylic on Canvas Painting, Titled "Nude Bathers Big Ocean”
Located in Camden, ME
James Strombotne is a contemporary artist who has had a successful career, since 1956. His artwork is held in many prestigious museums and private collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hirschhorn Museum of the Smithsonian Institute. According to Strombotne, "Any subject is fair game...
Category

2010s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Josef Albers Homage to the Square Silk Screen Diptych
Located in Chicago, IL
Josef Albers Formulations - Articulations I & II Edition 974/ 1000 1972 screenprint on paper Embossed with Josef Albers initials, portfolio and folde...
Category

1970s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

1984 Signed Abstract Geometric Large Scale 2D Origami Folded Paper Art Piece
Located in Topeka, KS
Magnificent 1984 signed Abstract Geometric Mixed Media large scale 2D origami folded paper wall art piece composed of purple, white, black, & gra...
Category

1980s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Paper

Jo Patch Oil on Board Painting
Located in Miami, FL
A very decorative work of art by listed artist, Jo Patch. Jo Patch born in Opprebais on January 13, 1937. He was active in Belgium primarily although many of his works were exhibit...
Category

20th Century Belgian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paint, Masonite

Jo Patch Oil on Board Painting
Jo Patch Oil on Board Painting
$1,200 Sale Price
20% Off
Mitch Epstein Signed Color Photograph Pushkar Camel Fair, Rajasthan India, 1978
By Mitch Epstein 1
Located in Studio City, CA
An absolutely stunning chromogenic print by esteemed American Fine Art photographer Mitch Epstein. One of his most well-known images which can be found in his book "In Pursuit of Ind...
Category

20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

"Diary (2301)" Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble

Julie Nangala Robertson, Ngapa Jukurrpa, Acrylic on canvas, 2015
Located in NICE, FR
ABOUT THE WORK NGAPA DREAMING In her paintings, Julie Nangala represents “Pirlinyanu”, her father's land of which she is the custodian, close to Mina Mina, a rocky land rich in deep-...
Category

2010s Australian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ink and Acrylic Painting by Virginia Dutton, Titled Torso, Signed & Dated
By Virginia Dutton
Located in Downingtown, PA
Ink and Acrylic painting By Virginia Dutton, Titled Torso, Signed & Dated Dutton, 2015. Large Ink and acrylic painting on canvas and signed 'Dutton' and dated on the right side...
Category

2010s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Yrjo Edelmann Signed/ Numbered Litho 116/ 175
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Yrjo Edelmann Signed and numbered Litho from the Mid 1980's. Known for his hyperrealistic art subjects of wrapped and folded paper pieces. Framed in what appears to be it's origina...
Category

1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

Portuguese Azulejo Tile Mural - Hand Painted Indoor/Outdoor Tiles "Harvest"
Located in Baldock, GB
Beautiful tile mural with the "HARVEST" motif finely painted. Tile mural size: 53.1"H X 53.1"W (135cm X 135cm) Tile size: 5.9"H X 5.9"W (15cm X 15cm) Origin: Portugal Production m...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Paint

"Green Tree" Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble

20th c. Large Collage of Native American Chief, Oil on Canvas and Paper Relief
Located in Morristown, NJ
Bettcher (20th c.), Portrait of a Native American Chief, oil on canvas and paper relief, signed "Bettcher" at lower right. An unusual portrait format of a Native American Chief deep ...
Category

1980s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint, Paper

Chiho Aoshima Signed Limited Edition Japanese Art Print Building Head Chameleon
By Chiho Aoshima
Located in Studio City, CA
Limited edition digital Superflat Pop Art print by renowned Japanese pop artist Chiho Aoshima. Signed, numbered, and dated by the artist. Chiho Aoshima worked with and was mentored by famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. The fine art print is framed and ready to hang. Aoshima's work can be found in various collections and museums including: Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill...
Category

Early 2000s Japanese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

Renato Freitas Diptych "Silver 1 and Silver 2, Framed Art
By Renato Freitas
Located in Dallas, TX
Renato Freitas, b. 1974, oil and mixed media paintings titled Silver 1 and Silver 2. Each work is framed in a black wood frame. Renato Freitas was born in Brazil and now works in...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Jorge Pardo: pantone drawing on vellum 1998
By Jorge Pardo
Located in Zemst, BE
Work on paper by Jorge Pardo (°1963) Cuban born but American artist. Sculptor and designer. Works from him can be found worldwide. This work: pantone ink on vellum Created in 1998...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

Artistic Mosaic Handmade Dimension and Colors Customizable
Located in London, GB
Making artistic Mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass Mosaic collections, all this allowed us to produce and divu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Aluminum

"Spring" Mosaic by Toyoharu Kii, 2021
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble

Mixed Media Painting on Board
Located in Denton, TX
Layers of paper and paint make this artwork stand out on it's own. Unsigned.
Category

20th Century Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Wood, Paint, Paper

Jennifer Printz "Quietus II" Prints, Graphite and Inks on Antique Paper, 2017
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary artist Jennifer Printz "Quietus II" series of six prints blends photography, graphite, and Epson Ultrachrome inks on antique papers. The work is matted and framed in wood, protected with anti-static, non-glare Plexiglass glazing. Jennifer Printz, an artist with a love for the poetic, carefully selects titles for her pieces and exhibitions to evoke multiple meanings. One such significant title in her work is "Quietus," symbolizing resolution and rest. She chose this title to reflect the artwork's creation during a sabbatical, a period of rejuvenation and tranquility. "Quietus" also represents her core artistic motivation – emphasizing the importance of stillness and calm in life. In the hustle and bustle of life, we often miss out on essential experiences unless we allow ourselves to be quiet and introspective. Jennifer believes that finding solace is crucial, and she invites viewers to appreciate its significance. Her work provides a meditative space, offering a brief moment of quiet reflection. In 2017, she was interviewed by Jenine Culligan, the director at the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, where her solo exhibition sabbatical work was titled "An Almost Unnoticed Quietus." This title cleverly connects "quietus" with "almost unnoticed," highlighting the themes of meditation and mindfulness. Through these practices, Jennifer uncovers profound aspects of our world and emotions often overlooked in our hurried lives. Meditation has taught her to appreciate the moments when we are on the verge of giving up, as these are often when unexpected greatness can unfold. Shown in the first photo, from top left to right: Image 3: Unpaused Moment Paper Size: 15” H x 12.5” W / Framed Size: 20” H x 17.5” W Image 4: Lead to Dust Paper Size: 15” H x 12.5” W / Framed Size: 20” H x 17.5” W Image 5: Strata Rises Through Paper Size: 15” H x 12.5” W / Framed Size: 20” H x 17.5” W Image 6: Dark Serenity Paper Size: 15” H x 12.5” W / Framed Size: 20” H x 17.5” W Image 7: A Few Splinters of Time Paper Size: 15” H x 12.5” W / Framed Size: 20” H x 17.5” W Image 8: Sinking Through the Sands...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Paper

Framed Photograph by John Patrick Dugdale
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist: John Patrick Dugdale (New York, b. 1960) Title: The Spirit Eye Medium: Cyanotype Year: 1998 Edition: number 3/12 Measurement: H 14", W 11"...
Category

1990s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

Jean-Marc Louis "Petit Zom, " 2017
By Jean-Marc Louis
Located in Hudson, NY
The abstract portrait from 2017, shown here, is by contemporary artist Jean-Marc Louis. Titled "Petit Zom (Ref #7968)," it is pastel on paper and, like all of Louis's works, finished...
Category

2010s Belgian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper

Selenoglyph, #2: Wall-Mounted Sculpture in Copper by TJ Volonis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Title: Selenoglyph, #2 Year: 2015 Selenoglyph, #2 (“written upon the moon”) is a large-scale, wall-mounted sculpture executed entirely in half-inch copper tubing. Its inspiration...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Copper

Oil on Canvas Painting "El Estafador" by Diego Cabral, 2022
Located in North Miami, FL
"El Estafador" - A Captivating Oil on Canvas Masterpiece by Argentine Contemporary Artist Diego Cabral (2021) Step into the imaginative world of Diego Ca...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Argentine Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Wall Relief Study 290 by Henry Wilson
Located in Geneve, CH
Wall Relief Study 290 by Henry Wilson Dimensions: W 91.5 x D 7.5 x H 122 cm Materials: Aluminum. A study in light and reflection, featuring cast aluminum tiles in configurations des...
Category

2010s Australian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Aluminum

Abstract Mixed media on Canvass signed 2015
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
ABSTRACT MIXED MEDIA ON CANVASS A great size mixed media abstract painting of a face in acrylic and other media, on a stretched canvas signature to bottom right and dated 2015 Age:...
Category

2010s French Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

Alejo Palacios "Amontonamiento 06" 2022 Acrylic on Handmade Paper Sycamore Frame
Located in Milano, IT
"Amontonamiento 06" by Alejo Palacios (Argentina, 1989) is a striking contemporary artwork created in 2022 using acrylic on handmade paper. This original piece showcases Palacios' un...
Category

20th Century Spanish Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic, Sycamore, Paper

8ft Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Las Vegas, NV
This is a massive piece of modern art that makes a huge statement. Measuring in at 8ft 2in, it’s a beast, the equivalent of a mural. Add a huge pop of color to your space today.
Category

20th Century Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

Portuguese Azulejos Tile Mural "Ships" Hand Painted & Signed by Artist
Located in Baldock, GB
Beautiful tile mural with the "SHIPS" motif finely painted. Quantity: 66 tiles Tile mural size: 64.9"W X 35.4"H (165cm X 90cm) Tile size: 5.9"W X 5.9"H (15cm X 15cm) Origin: Portu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic, Paint

Modernist Geometric Painting, 1971
Located in Denton, TX
Oil on canvas painting of geometric shapes signed Brink.
Category

20th Century Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Richard Hirsch Encaustic Painting of Nothing #54, 2017
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary American ceramic artist Richard Hirsch's encaustic Painting of Nothing #54 is made of ceramic raw materials, dry pigment and wax. This piece is part of his ongoing Paint...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Clay, Organic Material

Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resin collage by Rex Ray, signed by the artist. USA, 2004.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Resin, Wood, Paper

Framed Modern Abstract Oil Painting by Stevan Kissel
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This abstract painting by little known Los Angeles artist is a fine example of color abstraction. The painting portrays an abstract ballerina dancer. The painting has been newly fram...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Large Oil on Canvas by Andrew Shachat
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large oil on canvas by Los Angeles artist Andrew Shachat. Represented by Patricia Correia Gallery, Venice, CA. Patricia Correia Gallery (PCG) was first established in Venice, Cali...
Category

1990s American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas

Handmade Artistic Marble Mosaic Rug Dimension and Colors Customizable
Located in London, GB
Making artistic mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass mosaic collections, all this allowed us to produce and divu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble

"Furbelow I" Kite by Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Muslin, Silk, Bamboo

Giovannozzi Home, Partition Wall in Green Marble and Metal Brass Finish, Italy
Located in Tivoli Terme, Roma
Partition wall composed in green marble and metal brass finishing, created by Michele Arcarese Architect together with Giovannozzi. - Slabs in marble ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble, Brass

Richard Hirsch Encaustic Painting of Nothing #62, 2020
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary American ceramic artist Richard Hirsch's encaustic Painting of Nothing #62 is made of ceramic raw materials, dry pigment and wax. This piece is part of his ongoing Painting of Nothing Series. Hirsch applies the waxy mix with a brush onto redwood plywood backed structures with two-inch wood strips all around and used various torches to layer, flux, bubble and blend. "Waxy and very tactile, they are probably the work Mark Rothko would have done had he spent most of his life in clay. Hirsch’s paintings have the nuance, subtle texture, and color shifts that become evident in blown-up photographs of his ceramic objects as well as a similar presence." Signed and dated en verso by the artist. This painting ship directly from the artist’s studio in Rochester, NY. (Literature: "With Fire: Richard Hirsch, A Life Between Chance and Design", Scott Meyer (Author), RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press 2012 - "The Paintings" pgs. 102 - 105) Richard Hirsch brief bio: In the field of contemporary ceramic, Rick Hirsch has earned an international reputation. He has achieved this recognition by engaging in numerous diversified professional activities. Through efforts in university teaching, exhibits, writing, lecturing and researching he has risen to worldwide prominence. In 1975, Hirsch co-authored a book entitled Raku, published by Watson-Guptill. This was the first comprehensive text to address the new innovations developing in the west that were transforming traditional Japanese Raku. Also, in the same year, Hirsch became a founding faculty member of The Program in Artistry at Boston University. Currently, Hirsch is a Professor Emeritus at The School for American Crafts which is a part of Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. His university teaching career now spans well over four decades. Repeatedly, Hirsch has participated in several milestone exhibitions and publications. Significant shows include; The Evolution of American Art in Craft Media Since 1945; Echoes: Historical References in Contemporary Ceramics; American Ceramics...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Clay, Organic Material

Peter Buchman Heroine White Neon, 2025
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary New York artist Peter Buchman's Heroine White Neon is a provocative piece that blinks 3 different words randomly: Heroine - Hero - Heroin. The concept for this piece cam...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Glass

Giovannozzi Home, Partition Wall in Portoro Marble and Metal Brass Finish, Italy
Located in Tivoli Terme, Roma
Partition wall composed in black marble type "Portoro" and metal brass finishing, created by Michele Arcarese Architect together with Giovannozzi. - S...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble, Brass

Artistic Mosaic Handmade Gold & Platinum Leaf Mother of Pearl
Located in London, GB
Making Artistic Mosaic, design of unparalleled beauty, inventing ' tromp l'oeil' thanks to the endless colors of the glass mosaic collections, all this allowed us to produce and divu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Marble, Aluminum, Platinum, Gold Leaf

"Furbelow II" Kite by Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Muslin, Silk, Bamboo

Summation by William Havlicek
Located in Denton, TX
Beautiful soft paint palate of lines and columns on canvas by William Havlicek. Dr. William J. Havlicek has over 40 years of experience in fine art/studio production and exhibition,...
Category

20th Century North American Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

A Rare diptych of "Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming" by Kathleen Petyarre
Located in Atlanta, GA
A stunning and rather rare diptych aboriginal painting by Kathleen Petyarre that depicts one of her most iconic subject. Each painting is 44" x 44". "Mountain Devil Lizard Arnkerrth...
Category

20th Century Australian Modern Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas

Cubist Still Life "Violin" by Early Modernist, Agnes Weinrich, Signed Dated 1922
By Agnes Weinrich
Located in New York, NY
Still life painting (Violin, Flowers), Oil on canvas, by Agnes Weinrich, Signed and dated "22", Unframed: 20" x 16", Framed 27.5 x 23". Agnes Weinrich (1873-1946) was an early female, American modernist artist at a time when there was little interest in Modern Art in the USA and when few women were artists. She was a ground breaker in modern art. The painting shown is an important example of her mature phase of her work. A biography from Wiki-pedia follows: Agnes Weinrich (1873–1946) was one of the first American artists to make works of art that were modernist, abstract, and influenced by the Cubist style. She was also an energetic and effective proponent of modernist art in America, joining with like-minded others to promote experimentation as an alternative to the generally conservative art of their time. Early years[edit] Agnes Weinrich was born in 1873 on a prosperous farm in south east Iowa. Both her father and mother were German immigrants and German was the language spoken at home. Following her mother's death in 1879 she was raised by her father, Christian Weinrich. In 1894, at the age of 59, he retired from farming and moved his household, including his three youngest children—Christian Jr. (24), Agnes (21), and Lena (17), to nearby Burlington, Iowa, where Agnes attended the Burlington Collegiate Institute from which she graduated in 1897.[1][2][3] Christian took Agnes and Lena with him on a trip to Germany in 1899 to reestablish links with their German relatives. When he returned home later that year, he left the two women in Berlin with some of these relatives, and when, soon after his return, he died, they inherited sufficient wealth to live independently for the rest of their lives. Either before or during their trip to Germany Lena had decided to become a musician and while in Berlin studied piano at the Stern Conservatory. On her part, Agnes had determined to be an artist and began studies toward that end at the same time.[1][4] In 1904 the two returned from Berlin and settled for two years in Springfield, Illinois, where Lena taught piano in public schools and Agnes painted in a rented studio. At this time Lena changed her name to Helen. In 1905 they moved to Chicago where Agnes studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago under John Vanderpoel, Nellie Walker, and others.[1] In 1909 Agnes and Helen returned to Berlin and traveled from there to Munich, where Agnes studied briefly under Julius Exter, and on to Rome, Florence, and Venice before returning to Chicago.[5] They traveled to Europe for the third, and last, time in 1913, spending a year in Paris. There, they made friends with American artists and musicians who had gathered there around the local art scene. Throughout this period, the work Agnes produced was skillful but unoriginal—drawings, etching, and paintings in the dominant academic and impressionist styles.[1] On her return from Europe in 1914, she continued to study art, during the warm months of the year in Provincetown, Massachusetts,[1] where she was a member of the Provincetown Printers art colony in Massachusetts,[6] and during the colder ones in New York City. In Provincetown she attended classes at Charles Hawthorne's Cape Cod School of Art and in New York, the Art Students League.[1] Drawing of an old woman by Agnes Weinrich, graphite on paper, 11.5 x 7.5 inches. Hawthorne and other artists established the Provincetown Art Association in 1914 and held the first of many juried exhibitions the following year. Weinrich contributed nine pictures to this show, all of them representational and somewhat conservative in style.[1] A pencil sketch made about 1915 shows a figure, probably one of the Portuguese women of Provincetown. Weinrich was a metculous draftsperson and this drawing is typical of the work she did in the academic style between 1914 and 1920. She also produced works more akin to the Impressionist favored by Hawthorne and many of his students. When in 1917 Weinrich showed paintings in a New York women's club, the MacDowell Club, the art critic for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said they showed a "strong note of impressionism."[7] Broken Fence by Agnes Weinrich, a white-line woodblock made on or before 1917; at left: the woodblock itself; at right: a print pulled from the woodblook. In 1916 Weinrich joined a group of printmakers which had begun using the white-line technique pioneered by Provincetown artist B.J.O. Nordfelt. She and the others in the group, including Blanche Lazzell, Ethel Mars and Edna Boies Hopkins, worked together, exchanging ideas and solving problems.[1][8] A year later Weinrich showed one of her first white-line prints at an exhibition held by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.[9] Broken Fence, in its two states—the print and the woodblock from which she made it—show Weinrich to be moving away from realistic presentation, towards a style, which, while neither abstract, nor Cubist, brings the viewer's attention to the flat surface plane of the work with its juxtaposed shapes and blocks of contrasting colors. Cows Grazing in the Dunes near Provincetown by Agnes Weinrich, white-line woodcut, 10 x 10 1/2 inches When in 1920 the informal white-line printmakers' group organized its own exhibition, Weinrich showed a dozen works, including one called Cows Grazing in the Dunes near Provincetown. This print shows greater tendency to abstraction than eitherBroken Fence or the prints made by other Provincetown artists of the time. The cows and dunes are recognizable but not presented realistically. The white lines serve to emphasize the blocks of muted colors which are the print's main pictorial elements. Weinrich uses the texture of the wood surface to call attention to the two-dimensional plane—the paper on which she made the print—in contrast with the implicit depth of foreground and background of cows, dunes, and sky. While the work is not Cubist, it has a proto-Cubist feel in a way that is similar to some of the more abstract paintings of Paul Cézanne.[10] By 1919 or 1920, while still spending winters in Manhattan and summers on Cape Cod, the sisters came to consider Provincetown their formal place of residence.[1][11][12][13] By that time they had also met the painter, Karl Knaths. Like themselves a Midwesterner of German origin who had grown up in a household where German was spoken, he settled in Provincetown in 1919. Agnes and Knaths shared artistic leanings and mutually influenced each other's increasing use of abstraction in their work.[1][14] The sisters and Knaths became close companions. In 1922 Knaths married Helen and moved into the house which the sisters had rented. He was then 31, Helen 46, and Agnes 49 years old. When, two years later, the three decided to become year-round residents of Provincetown, Agnes and Helen used a part of their inheritance to buy land and materials for constructing a house and outbuildings for the three of them to share. Knaths himself acquired disused structures nearby as sources of lumber and, having once been employed as a set building for a theater company, he was able to build their new home.[15] Weinrich was somewhat in advance of Knaths in adopting a modernist style. She had seen avant-garde art while in Paris and met American artists who had begun to appreciate it. On her return to the United States she continued to discuss new theories and techniques with artists in New York and Provincetown, some of whom she had met in Paris. This loosely-knit group influenced one another as their individual styles evolved. In addition to Blance Lazzell, already mentioned, the group included Maude Squires, William Zorach, Oliver Chaffee, and Ambrose Webster. Some of them, including Lazzell and Flora Schofield had studied with influential modernists in Paris and most had read and discussed the influential Cubist and Futurist writings of Albert Gleizes and Gino Severini.[16][17] Mature style[edit] Woman with Flowers by Agnes Weinrich, circa 1920, oil on canvas, 34 x 30 1/4 inches, exhibited at the Provincetown Art Association exhibition of 1920, made available courtesy of the Association. Two of Weinrich's paintings, both produced about 1920, mark the emergence of her mature style. The first, Woman With Flowers, is similar to one by the French artist, Jean Metzinger called Le goûter (Tea Time) (1911).[18] Red Houses by Agnes Weinrich, circa 1921, oil on canvas on board, 24.25 x 25.5 inches; exhibited "Red Houses" at Fifth Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists. Like much of Metzinger's work, Le goûter was discussed in books and journals of the time—including one called Cubism co-authored by Metzinger himself.[19] Because the group with which Weinrich associated read about and discussed avant-garde art in general and Cubism in particular, it is reasonably likely that Weinrich was familiar with Metzinger's work before she began her own. The second painting, Red Houses, bears general similarity to landscapes by Cézanne and Braque. Both paintings are Cubist in style. However, with them Weinrich did not announce an abrupt conversion to Cubism, but rather marked a turning toward greater experimentation. In her later work she would not adopt a single style or stylistic tendency, but would produce both representative pictures and ones that were entirely abstract, always showing a strong sense of the two-dimensional plane of the picture's surface. After she made these two paintings neither her subject matter nor the media she used would dramatically change. She continued to employ subjects available to her in her Provincetown studio and the surrounding area to produce still lifes, village and pastoral scenes, portraits, and abstractions in oil on canvas and board; watercolor, pastel, crayon and graphite on paper; and woodblock prints.[20] Possessing an outgoing and engaging personality and an active, vigorous approach to life, Weinrich promoted her own work while also helping Karl Knaths to develop relationships with potential patrons, gallery owners, and people responsible for organizing exhibitions. With him, she put herself in the forefront of an informal movement toward experimentation in American art. Since, because of her independent means, she was not constrained to make her living by selling art, she was free to use exhibitions and her many contacts with artists and collectors to advance appreciation and understanding of works which did not conform to the still-conservative norm of the 1920s and 1930s.[1][21][22] Early in the 1920s, critics began to take notice of her work, recognizing her departure from the realism then prevailing in galleries and exhibitions. Paintings that she showed in 1922 drew the somewhat dry characterization of "individualistic.",[23] and in 1923 her work drew praise from a critic as "abstract, but at the same time not without emotion."[24] In 1925 Weinrich became a founding member of the New York Society of Women Artists. Other Provincetown members included Blanche Lazzell, Ellen Ravenscroft, Lucy L'Engle, and Marguerite Zorach. The membership was limited to 30 painters and sculptors all of whom could participate in the group's exhibitions, each getting the same space.[23][25][26] The group provided a platform for their members to distinguish themselves from the genteel and traditionalist art that women artists were at that time expected to show[27] and, by the account of a few critics, it appears their exhibitions achieved this goal.[1][28][29][30] In 1926 Weinrich joined with Knaths and other local artists in a rebellion against the "traditional" group that had dominated the Provincetown Art Association. For the next decade, 1927 through 1937, the association would mount two separate annual exhibitions, the one conservative in orientation and the other experimental, or, as it was said, radical.[31][32] Both Weinrich and Knaths participated on the jury that selected works for the first modernist exhibition.[11] Still Life by Agnes Weinrich, circa 1926, oil on canvas, 17 x 22 inches. Permission to use granted by Christine M. McCarthy, Executive Director, Provincetown Art Association and Museum. The painting was the gift of Warren Cresswell. Weinrich's painting, Still Life, made about 1926, may have been shown in the 1927 show. Representative of some aspects of her mature style, it is modernist but does not show Cubist influence. The objects pictured are entirely recognizable, but treated abstractly. Although fore- and background are distinguishable, the objects, as colored forms, make an interesting and visually satisfying surface design. In 1930 Weinrich put together a group show for modernists at the GRD Gallery in New York. The occasion was the first time a group of Provincetown artists exhibited together in New York. For it she selected works by Knaths, Charles Demuth, Oliver Chaffee, Margarite and William Zorach, Jack Tworkov, Janice Biala, Niles Spencer, E. Ambrose Webster, and others.[1][23] Later years[edit] Weinrich turned 60 on July 16, 1933. Although she had led a full and productive life devoted to development of her own art and to the advancement of modernism in art, she did not cease to work toward both objectives. She continued to work in oil on canvas and board, pastel and crayon on paper, and woodblock printing. Her output continued to vary in subject matter and treatment. For example, Still Life with Leaves, circa 1930 (oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches) contains panels of contrasting colors with outlining similar to Knaths's style. Movement in C Minor, circa 1932 (oil on board, 9 x 12 inches) is entirely abstract. It too relates to Knaths's work, both in treatment (again, outlined panels of contrasting colors) and in its apparent relationship to music, something in which Knaths was also interested. Fish Shacks...
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Modern contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

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