Modern Contemporary Art
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 European Modern Contemporary Art
Other
1970s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary North American Modern Contemporary Art
Ash, Paper
2010s North American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s British Modern Contemporary Art
Glass, Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Resin, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Polyester, Ribbon
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Coral, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Polyester, Ribbon
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Contemporary Art
Iron
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Iron
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Fabric
2010s English Modern Contemporary Art
Silk, Bubinga
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Fabric
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Resin, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Resin, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Paint, Clay
1970s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s American Modern Contemporary Art
Blown Glass
1950s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Concrete, Iron
19th Century French Antique Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Copper
Late 20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Paint, Wood
1960s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Glass, Paper
2010s British Modern Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Paper
1960s Belgian Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Aluminum, Iron
1960s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Glass, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Yarn, Plywood, Lacquer
1990s Swedish Modern Contemporary Art
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Contemporary Art
Silver Leaf
1960s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
1990s American Modern Contemporary Art
Lucite, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Contemporary Art
Iron
1970s American Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Paint, Canvas
Late 20th Century American Modern Contemporary Art
Canvas, Wood
1990s American Modern Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Wood, Oak, Paint
1980s Vintage Modern Contemporary Art
Glass, Paper