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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Birch, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Decorative Art
Marble
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, Clay, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Plastic, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Clay, 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 American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Latex, Paint
20th Century English Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Belgian Modern Decorative Art
Agate, Copper
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass, Fiberglass, Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paint, Canvas
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paint
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Wood
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Danish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Wool, Thread, Yarn
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Velvet
2010s English Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Wool, Thread, Yarn
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Masonite, Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Fabric, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Brass
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Textile, Plastic, Mylar
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Art
Linen, Wood, Beads, Glass
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Modern Decorative Art
Silver Plate
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Decorative Art
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt