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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Italian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
1990s Spanish Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1940s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paint
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Concrete, Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Vietnamese Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Animal Skin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Silk, Acrylic
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Art
Wool
2010s Modern Decorative Art
Resin
Early 2000s Canadian Modern Decorative Art
Silver
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paper, Plexiglass, Giltwood
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Metal
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s Modern Decorative Art
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Stoneware
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Onyx, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Statuary Marble, Onyx, Brass, Stainless Steel
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Steel
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Mirror, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Onyx, Granite, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Early 2000s Spanish Modern Decorative Art
Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Decorative Art
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Faience, Wood
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Iron
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint, Clay
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Other, Tin