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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Indian Modern Decorative Art
Linen, Wood, Beads, Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century German Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
Late 20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Metal
20th Century British Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Giltwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Art
Natural Fiber, Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Linen, Wood, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum, Gold Leaf
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 Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Scagliola
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Faience, Wood
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain, Paint
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Art
Paper, Glass, Wood
1970s Swiss Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Plastic
1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Faience, Wood
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Majolica
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Resin, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Fabric, Wood
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stone, Marble, Copper
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Tapestry, Wool
21st Century and Contemporary South American Modern Decorative Art
Cotton