Modern Decorative 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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Velvet
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Natural Fiber, Burl
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Scagliola, Wood
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paint
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood, Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal, Brass, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Metal
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Faience, Wood
Mid-20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Natural Fiber
20th Century Irish Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Giltwood
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Copper, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
20th Century British Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Mirror, Silk
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Silk, Glass, Mirror
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Plastic