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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1930s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Enamel
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Brass, Steel
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Enamel
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Metal
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1980s Dutch Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Lucite
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Concrete, Gold Leaf
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Mirror
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Fabric, Wood
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Modern Decorative Art
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Other
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood, Paint
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Tapestry, Wool
1970s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Modern Decorative Art
Paper
20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Wood
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Gold Leaf
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal
Mid-20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Paint
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Paint
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Masonite, Paper
1940s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood, Giltwood, Paint
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint, Giltwood, Canvas
Early 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Giltwood, Canvas, Wood, Paint
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper