Modern Decorative Art
MODERN STYLE
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
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Style: Modern
Period: Late 20th Century
Giorgio De Chirico Large thick Glass Slab Engraved with Ettore and Andromaca
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Giorgio De Chirico Large Thick Glass Slab Engraved with Ettore and Andromaca
Category
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Crystal
Italian Modern Gray and Black Abstract Painting by Dova, 1980s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern shades of grey and black abstract painting by Dova with passpartout and wooden frame, 1980s
Abstract painting in shades of grey, blue and black with white passpartout...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Large Autumnal Citrus and Vessels Abstract Still Life Oil Painting, Framed
Located in Morristown, NJ
Francois Heaulme (French, 1927-2005), Large framed still life with oranges, pottery and bottles, signed lower left.
Dimensions:
57"h x 37.5"w (sig...
Category
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
The Big Book Of Harley-Davidson Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The Big Book Of Harley-Davidson:
Official Publication by Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Bolfert, Thomas C.
Published by Harley-Davidson Inc. Milwaukee, 1989
The Big Book Of Harley-Davidso...
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
André Masson, Femme, 1975, Lithograph
By André Masson
Located in Saint ouen, FR
André Masson, Femme, 1975
Color lithograph on Arches Paper
Signed at the lower right part of the artwork.
From the series "I dream"
Framed
Dimensio...
Category
1970s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Curtis Jere Wall Sculpture Herd of Running Gazelles
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Wallkill, NY
Tin with gold highlights, a wall-mounted sculpture of a herd of running gazelles. Wall sculpture designed by Curtis Jere. Each gazelle is about 24 in.
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Tin
Rosenthal Studio Line Porcelain Relief Plaque by Natale Sapone 'Limited Edition'
Located in Waddinxveen, ZH
Stunning wall plaque by Natale Sapone. The plaque is "new" because it has been kept in its original box. The plaque was produced in 1972 in an edition of...
Category
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Porcelain
Heljä Liukko-Sundström For Arabia Limited Edition Mother & Child Wall Plates
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine pair vintage Arabia porcelain wall plates from the Mother and Child Series by Heljä Liukko-Sundström (b.1938) for Arabia, Finland and mad...
Category
1980s Finnish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Porcelain
'Summer Window' by Ann Finlayson
Located in London, GB
This oil on board was painted in 1985-86, we are particularly drawn to her use of colour.
Ann Finlayson was born in Glasgow in 1943. She trained at Glasgow School of Art, Kingston...
Category
1980s British Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
Pedro Friedeberg Signed Vintage Double Sided "Day & Night" Silkscreen Art
Located in North Miami, FL
The wonderful vintage cusrom framed art work of Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg is exemplified in this dual sided work that is a numbered and signed si...
Category
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Plexiglass, Paper
Wooden Marquetry Wall Art at Cost Price
Located in Saint-Ouen (PARIS), FR
Unique wall art in precious woods worked in marquetry.
Frames in wood, gilt with white gold leaf.
(Pair available)
Unique pair by Studio Glustin.
Category
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood
From the Far West Carpets and Textiles of Morocco Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
From the Far West Carpets and Textiles of Morocco
Fiske, Patricia L. and Pickering, W. Russell and Yohe, Ralph S.
in black cloth covered board ...
Category
1980s Moroccan Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Joe Eula Watercolor of a Sunflower
By Joe Eula
Located in New York, NY
From the 1950s to the 80s, Joe Eula cut quite a figure on the New York scene as a graphic, costume, fashion, stage-set, and film-set designer, as well as a stylist, party giver, and, briefly, a model agency macher. In addition, he was an artist. You could say that Eula was the art director extempore of Manhattan. And if you’ve never heard of Eula (or hadn’t before David Pittu played him in the recent Netflix Halston series), it’s because he was famous as an eminence grise, to employ a contradiction in terms. That’s why Andy Warhol called him, in typical Warholian hyperbole, “the most important man in New York.”
Eula came from a hardscrabble background in South Norwalk, Connecticut. After serving in World War II, he took classes on the GI Bill at the Art Students League, and formed a partnership with photographer Milton Greene to produce features for Life and Look magazines, and a couple of films, with Greene behind the camera, and Eula painting backdrops and styling. On his own, Eula illustrated Eugenia Sheppard’s famous newspaper fashion column, did illustration work for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, designed ballet costumes and sets for Jerome Robbins, an album cover for Miles Davis, and a benefit invitation for Cesar...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Brass, Chrome and Black Metal Wall Art Attributed to Curtis Jere, circa 1980
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Sexy, large and impressive 1980s wall art attributed to Curtis Jere and made of brass, chrome and black metal sheets - as if bound together like a bow - with round brass button detai...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Metal, Brass, Chrome
Pair of Abstract Collages Brown-Black Monogrammed and Dated Norbert Krabbe, 1997
Located in Salzburg, AT
Pair of collages monogrammed and dated Norbert Krabbe 1997.
Handmade frame, mounted as in the showcase.
Norbert Krabbe (1951 Demmin, lives since 2005 in Koserow) is an artistic...
Category
1990s German Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paper
Modular Color Series Modern Art by Robert Kidd, c 1980s
Located in Toledo, OH
Woven torn paper wall art, primary color blue, part of the Modular Color Series, signed by artist Robert Kidd, circa 1980s. Artwork includes original galle...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Niels Helledie, Denmark, Unique Face Mask in Hand-Painted Stoneware
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Niels Helledie (b. 1927), Denmark.
Unique face mask in hand-painted glazed stoneware. 1980s.
Measures: 18 x 18 cm.
Depth: 9.5 cm.
In excellent cond...
Category
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Stoneware
Herbert Fink, Shadow of an Elko, Etching on Paper, 1979
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Limited edition pencil signed and numbered 6/250 original Fine art etching by the very well listed artist and print maker Herbert Fink. This is signed and...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Ilya Bolotowsky Signed Modernist Silkscreen Vertical Blue Ellipse Series
Located in San Diego, CA
Incredibly graphic piece, signed by Ilya Bolotowsky (American, 1907-1981) from the early 1970s. Signed Silkscreen part of the vertical blue ellipse blue series. Silkscreen on Rives p...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Rare Vintage Gold Colored Collecting Fine Art Mirror or Picture Frame
Located in Lisse, NL
One of a kind artwork picture or mirror frame.
This unique work of wall-art never seizes to draw your attention. Everytime you look at it, you will discover something new, because there is so much going on. The beauty and originality in this modern work of art is that the entire frame is mostly filled with old and antique bits...
Category
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Metal
Guido Lippens Abstract Mixed Media on Cloth, 1984
Located in New York, NY
Abstract mixed media / textile fabric art on brown cloth, comprised of stitching and cloth geometric & biomorphic shapes in shades including blue, orange, pink and green, shapes in t...
Category
1990s North American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Textile
Gypsy Antiques from the Hollywood Antique Store
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Signe from the famous Gypsy antiques in Hollywood.
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Plywood
Jerusalem Art Framed by Obolski Israel
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Jerusalem art framed by Obolski Israel.
Category
Late 20th Century Israeli Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Impressionist Decorative Water Color in a Fine Gilt Frame Signed
Located in Stamford, CT
Impressionist decorative water color in a fine gilt frame. The finely matted and wonderfully framed watercolor depicts a young woman on a park bench looking into the distance.
Me...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
Three Original 1992 P. Szekely Paintings for Emilio Pucci
By Woka Lamps
Located in Vienna, AT
Three single paintings, mixed technique on paper, signed and dated P. Szekely 92, made on the occasion of a presentation of Emilio Pucci fabrics in...
Category
Late 20th Century Austrian Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Stunning Bas Relief by Alicia Penalba in Metal Alloy
Located in Beirut, LB
Sculpture by Alicia Penalba, bas relief in metal alloy, signed Alicia Penalba, dedicated from the back, dim: 60 x 60 cm.
Penalba arrived in Paris in 1948, with a scholarship from t...
Category
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Metal
Vintage William Gatewood Mixed Media Diptych Collage Kite & Kimonos 70"
Located in Dayton, OH
"William Gatewood original mixed media collage titled Kite and Kimonos.
William Gatewood (1943-1994) is known for Japanese image paintings, wood an...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Hardwood, Paint, Paper
Sitting Monkey Gouache by Henri Samouilov
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Gouache and pastel study of a sitting Macaque monkey with its hand to its head by Henri Samouilov with a similar unfinished study to the reverse of the...
Category
1990s French Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
Large Midcentury Abstract in the Style of Jackson Pollack Oil on Canvas
By (after) Jackson Pollock
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful colors dropped, poured or spilt onto an extremely large cancels which is 5 foot x 8 foot. Unsigned and guessing the age it looks to be 40 to 50 yes old. Stretcher has suppo...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Canvas
Lester Goldman Abstract Watercolor Painting, Blue, Pink, Green, and Red, Signed
Located in Kansas City, MO
Lester Goldman watercolor in striking colors of blue, pink, green and red. Acquired directly from the estate of Lester Goldman. Excellent condition and ...
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Chrome
André Masson, Femme II, 1975, Lithograph
By André Masson
Located in Saint ouen, FR
André Masson - Femme II, 1975
Color lithograph on arches paper
Signed at the lower center part of the artwork.
From the series "I dream"
Framed
Dimensions: 50 x 66 cm.
Category
1970s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Vintage Metal Wall Art
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Eye-catching piece of wall art combining different shades of metal and textures to interesting effect. Please confirm item location with seller (NY/NJ).
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Metal
Michael Parkes "Night Flight" Limited Edition Giclee on Canvas Nude Swans
By Michael Parkes 1
Located in Dayton, OH
"Night Flight by Michael Parkes
Giclee on canvas with gold toned Baroque style frame.
In pursuit of the Unknowable, the swan princess is encouraged b...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Canvas
Herbert Fink, Lonesome Pine, Etching on Paper, 1979
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Limited edition pencil signed and numbered 126/250 original Fine art etching by the very well listed artist and print maker Herbert Fink. This is signed a...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Pop Art Yellow and Black Perspex Light Panel by Johanna Grawunder Italian Design
Located in London, GB
A 1980s Pop Art yellow and black perspex light panel by Johanna Grawunder
An Art Lighting panel, yellow / black perspex with florencescent light bulbs. I...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Plexiglass
Italian Murano Glass Decorative Panel by Alfredo Barbini
Located in Milan, Italy
Murano glass decorative panel designed and produced by Alfredo Barbini in 1980.
Signed and with original labels.
Biography
Alfredo Barbini ...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Murano Glass
Joan Lehman Geometric Brass and Glass Block Suspended Cube Sculpture Vintage
Located in North Miami, FL
This amazing vintage sculpture by the noted glass artist and philanthropist Joan Lehman has forms of an inverted triangle and a square with a glass cube bl...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Brass
Standing Macaque Gouache by Henri Samouilov
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Gouache and pastel study of a standing macaque monkey by Henri Samouilov with an unfinished study of two monkeys to the reverse of the sheet
Paris, ...
Category
1990s French Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
1980s Francisco Toledo Mexican Modernism Mixed Media Animales Artwork
Located in Chula Vista, CA
AMBIANIC presents
Famed Mexican Artist FRANCISCO TOLEDO (1940–2019) the Latin American Master of combining diverse materials for mixed media.
Scorpions, Grasshoppers and Crickets.
No...
Category
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Other
1980s Crowing Rooster Copper Enamel Painting Abstract Art Blue Green
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Delight Colorful Abstract Copper Enamel Wall Art Crowing Roosters in blue and green circa 1980s
19.5 H x 31.25 W x 1.25 D, Art 24 x 12
Copper Enamel ...
Category
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Copper, Enamel
Kurt Larisch, Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Signed, Dated, Title in Back
By Kurt Larisch
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very nice and large painting by the well known Austrian artist, Larch, worked in Mexico for many years. This art work is title in Spanish in back "Luna Congelada" his style is abstra...
Category
1970s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paint
Limited Edition "Baj chez Baj" Multiplicata Internazionale, 1972 by Enrico Baj
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A lovely incomplete folio featuring 6 of 10 plates from Enrico Baj's mixed-media "Baz Chez Baj" printed edition on wove paper; each print from this limited edition has been signed "B...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Larry Laslo Green, Grey, Yellow, Black Abstract Landscape on Paper Custom Framed
By Larry Laslo
Located in North Miami, FL
This fantastic abstract strong landscape work of art by the designer Larry Laslo is signed in the lower right hand corner. The vivid colors of green, yellow white, black and cobalt b...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Paint, Paper
Victor Vasarely Geometric Print with Purple Frame, 1970s
Located in New York, NY
Colorful abstract lithograph with iconic geometric motif by Victor Vasarely, American, 1970s (Signed and numbered 137/250). Vasarely is widely considered to be the father of Op Art.
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paper
1995 Playing Card Collage Artwork by Robert Heckes Mixed-Media Decoupage
Located in Dayton, OH
1995 playing card collage artwork by Robert Heckes mixed-media Decoupage 72"
"Rural or country themed collage, featuring a rooster perched at the cent...
Category
1990s Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Abstract Composition
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Abstract slate sandstone composition by Nicole Cormier (1932-2020)
Provenance from the artist atelier.
Category
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Slate, Sandstone
Vintage Modern New York Skyline Mirrored Wall Art
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stylish vintage modern wall art features mixed metal, acrylic, and mirror to create a New York City skyline effect with twin towers, Empir...
Category
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Mirror
Max Walter Svanberg Painted Ceramic Tile, for Rorstrand, Signed Titled in Bac
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nice painted tile by the well-known artist, Max Walter Svanberg for Rorstrand.
Category
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Ceramic
Margaret Smith “Near the Zócalo” Abstract Impressionist Cityscape Oil Painting
By Margaret Smith 1
Located in San Francisco, CA
A signed late 1970s/early 1980s large abstract impressionist cityscape oil painting on board titled “Near the Zócalo”, by American artist Margaret Smith.
The Zócalo is the common na...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
The Moon Goddess Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The Moon Goddess oil painting on canvas.
Great colors with a lady under the moon with a cat and owl around her.
Very fine contemporary painting, stretch...
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Canvas
Untitled, After Keith Haring
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Untitled, After Keith Haring
Vintage unsigned well executed oil on canvas of figures supporting each other, the center image measures 33.5" W x 34" H, on a white background canvas m...
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Canvas
Curtis Jere Fish Aquarium Made of Brass and Painted Metal from 1993
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Asbury Park, NJ
Rarely seen monumental Curtis Jere fish aquarium from 1993. This wall hanging piece is made of brass and painted metal. The wall art is dated...
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Metal
Tony Sheets “Molokai Dream” 1995, Signed
By Tony Sheets
Located in San Francisco, CA
A pastel over watercolor impressionist ocean landscape titled “Molokai Dream” by American artist John Anthony “Tony” Sheets (b. 1942).
Cool pastels, crosshatched and layered in de...
Category
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Original Abstract Painting by Listed Artists Tom Belloni
By Tom Belloni
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful 1976 abstract mixed-media painting by America artists Tom Belloni. The painting has orange, browns and gold colors. The painting is hand signed Belloni and dated 1976 on ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Resin, Acrylic
Over the Desert Au Fil du Désert Textiles from the Nomadic Desert Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Over the Desert - Tents And Weaving Of Nomadic Pastors.
Au fil du de´sert: Tentes et tissages des pasteurs nomades de Me´diterrane´e
(French Edition)
(French language) Paperback...
Category
1990s Moroccan Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Paper
Limited Edition 78/95 Bill Mack Signed Bronze Statue Picture Titled Solitude
By Bill Mack 1
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning and exceptionally rare 1987 Limited Edition number 78/95 Bill Mack Solitude bonded bronze picture
The impact of Bill Mack's art is...
Category
1980s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Bronze
Six Round Framed Silk Screen by Edgardo Giménez, Argentina, 1973
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Six round framed silk screen by Edgardo Giménez. Argentina, 1973.
The six are hand signed by the artist.
--
Detail of each silk screen in order of the...
Category
1970s Argentine Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
"Black to Color 2" Optical Art
Located in New York, NY
"Black to Color 2" wall-mounted optical art encased in acrylic by Leonard Janklow. Signed. From the private collection of the Coral Springs Museum o...
Category
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Materials
Acrylic
Modern decorative art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Modern decorative art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage decorative art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, decorative objects, mirrors and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with glass, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern decorative art made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original decorative art, popular names associated with this style include sicis, Louise Heighes, Atlasproject, and Peter Keil. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for decorative art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $35 and tops out at $191,803 while the average work can sell for $2,184.
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