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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stone, Marble, Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Majolica
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
20th Century German Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century Asian Modern Decorative Art
Wood
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
2010s South African Modern Decorative Art
Wire
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Paper, Grasscloth
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Brass
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s European Modern Decorative Art
Leather
2010s French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Brass
1980s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
2010s British Modern Decorative Art
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Linen
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Metal
20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Fiberglass, Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass
Early 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary South African Modern Decorative Art
Wire
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Balkan Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Acrylic, Fiberglass
1970s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
Early 20th Century British Modern Decorative Art
Paper
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Brass
2010s European Modern Decorative Art
Leather