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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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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: 1960s
1969 Silvano Bozzolini Arte Astratta Metallo Smaltato Piatti Set di 3
Located in Brescia, IT
Silvano Bozzolini Italy, 1969 Set di 3 Piatti Metallo Smaltato a Fuoco h 4 cm / diam 46 cm h 3 cm / diam 40 cm h 2.5 cm / diam 32.5 cm
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Metal

Claes Oldenburg Lithograph, Pop Art, Hot Water Bottle, Pencil, Numbered, Signed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great Pop Art lithograph by the well known artist Claes Oldenburg ,pencil signed LR, numbered 26/100. Titeled on plate London 66(.image size along is 7.5 X 5.5 inches.) Framed.
Category

1960s British Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Exceptionnel stairs "Cité radieuse" by Charles Edouard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier.
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Exceptional staircase called Cité radieuse by Charles Edouard Jeanneret called Le Corbusier (1887-1965) Uprights in larch, eleven steps in exotic wood. ...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Iron

Jacques POUCHAIN enameled wall dish with stylized sun
Located in PARIS, FR
Jacques POUCHAIN (1927-2015) Beautiful brown-beige enameled wall dish with stylized sun decoration. France, c. 1960. Signed. Collectible ceramic. Height : 11.8 in - Width : 13 in ...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Ceramic

Gaston Chaissac, Lithographic Print, Composition with Face, 1960s
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Gaston Chaissac, Composition with Face, 1960s Print on lithographic paper Sheet dimensions 64/44 Unframed work Gaston Chaissac (1910 - 1964), was...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Jose Maria Yturralde, Figura Imposible, Serigraph, 1969
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Jose Maria Yturralde, Figure Imposible, 1969 Color serigraphy This work is signed by the artist. It has a title and date Sheet dimensions 35/25 Unframed Jose Maria Yturralde was born in 1942 in Valencia. He was a doctor of fine arts at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and professor of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia. He is an ordinary member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in Valencia. In 1968 he was a scholarship holder at the Calculus Center of the University of Madrid. It was then that he started his first computer work. The first Computable Forms exhibition was held in 1969. He has received numerous awards: B.G. Salvi and Premio Europa Ancona, Italy in 1972 and the Juan March Foundation scholarship in 1974 to stay at MIT in the USA, Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1990 he was invited to participate in the Toyama Now International Triennial in Japan. At the invitation of the Union of Russian Artists, he went to Moscow, where he conducted courses and lectures about his works. He received an award in the Valencia Underground wall painting and sculpture competition in 1995. In 1996, he spent a month at the U.N.A.M. Mexico F.D and conducted various activities related to Flying Structures. In 1998 he returned to Mexico to exhibit his work in several museums. Also in that year he was invited to participate in the First European Triennial of Nature in Dragsholm Slot Odsherred, Denmark. He showed the works of Frame the Forest, Hyperweb and Flying Structure. The exhibition of his latest work took place in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Sao Paulo and Paris. He published numerous articles and lectures. He is also the author of books. He was deputy curator at the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca. He developed an artistic style close to science, such as his Impossible Figures. He introduced cyber art...
Category

1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Bengt Lindström, Autumn Night, Serigraph
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Bengt Lindstrom, Autumn Night Serigraphy Number 95/200 Work with signature and individual number (pencil) Sheet dimensions 47/62 Unframed work Karl Erik Lindström...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Curt Hillfon, Amaryllis, Serigraph, 1960s, Framed
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Curt Hillfon, Amaryllis, 1960s Serigraphy Work signed by the artist (pencil) Work dimensions 52/42 Framed work Curt Hillfon (1943 - 2018) was a painter, graphic artist and dra...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

James Gahagan Abstract/Expressionist, Watercolor Painting on Paper, Signed, Date
By James Gahagan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
James Gahagan was an American abstract ? expressionist artist/painter , also known as colorist.The size of the work by itself is 9 x 12 inches also signed LR, Gahagan 61. Has the ori...
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Ink Drawing Signed Stöteestenen, 1963
Located in London, GB
A framed ink drawing by unknown artist, signed “Stöteestenen 1963”. An abstracted figure sits in the foreground surrounded by marks and shapes setti...
Category

1960s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Painting by Peter Keil, New Silver Wood Frame with Linen Mating, Acrylic, 1962
Located in New York, NY
Peter Robert Keil was born to an artist blacksmith father whom he lost very early in his childhood during the Second World War. During the end phase of the war, Keil's mother, also a...
Category

1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Acrylic

Alexander Calder, Original Lithograph 15/90, Les Queles Deqoulinantes 1966
Located in Stockholm, SE
A lithograph by Alexander Calder namned Les Queles Deqoulinantes. This is number 15 in an edition of 90. It is 76 x 59 cm (framed), 61 x 44 cm (picture). It is reframed but have the ...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Original David Hockney Etching of Celia Birtwell
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Original David Hockney etching of Celia Birtwell, iconic British textile designer and fashion designer, signed, numbered 13 of an edition of 75, dated 1...
Category

1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

"Stonington, Maine" Painting by Janet Sullivan Turner, Oil on Canvas
Located in Downingtown, PA
"Stonington, Maine" Painting by Janet Sullivan Turner, oil on canvas, Signed "J Sullivan Turner" lr, Circa 1965. The painting from the artist's collection signed and named Stonington, Maine. Dimensions: Framed 24 3/4 inches x 30 3/4 inches wide, sight 24 inches high x 30 inches wide. Condition: Good Provenance: The Estate of the Artist Commenting on Turner’s work, Philadelphia art critic, Dr. Burton Wasserman...
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas

Abstract Landscape, David Lord, circa 1960
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful abstract landscape. Fabulous colors, almost pastel like. Acrylic on canvas laid on board. Antique ebonized oak frame. Unsigned.  
Category

1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas

Hardy Strid, Swedish Artist, Abstract Composition, 1960s / 70s
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Hardy Strid (1921-2012), Swedish artist. Enamel on sheet metal. Abstract composition. 1960s / 70s. The sheet metal measures: 33 x 25 cm. In excellent con...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Metal

French Surrealist Oil Painting Signed Jamotte, 1964
Located in Houston, TX
Fantastic French surrealist oil painting on canvas, signed Jamotte, 1964, Riquewihr, France (A famous artist colony in the Alsace region). This Frenc...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Abstract Landscape, David Lord, circa 1960
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful abstract landscape. Fabulous muted colors, almost pastel like. Acrylic on canvas laid on board. Antique ebonized oak frame. Unsigned.  
Category

1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas

Large Brass-Framed Wall Art
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Large brass-framed multi-media wall art on a mirror base. Signed R. Bushong.
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Brass

Fun Set of 3 Hans Richter 1961 Artcraft Plaster Negative Relief Sports Plaques
Located in San Francisco, CA
A true time capsule of 1961, the 3-dimensional plaster negative relief plaques depicting a golfer, bowler and tennis player all engaged in their sport and all from the perspective of...
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Plaster

Paper Collage by Knute Stiles, 1961
By Knute Stiles
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Knute Stiles-painter, art critic and poet was born in Minnesota in 1923 and died in Tuscon, Arizona in 2009. He attended the St. Paul Art School and later...
Category

1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

"Figure in Blue", Oil on Canvas, Framed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautifully framed oil on canvas representing a blue figure. Size: 13 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches canvas, 22 1/8 x 18 1/2 inches frame.
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Bert Stern Marilyn Monroe Silkscreen and Serigraph Custom Framed Vintage
Located in North Miami, FL
This signed Bert Stern vintage silkscreen and serigraph of an abstract Marilyn Monroe is from 1962. It is marked Avant Garde Collectors Proof X111 Red. ...
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Paint, Paper

Painting, Portrait of a Lady, Charcoal, C 1960, Large Scale with Wide Gold Frame
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful, midcentury, large portrait of a lady, circa 1960. Charcoal on paper with a very decorative gold frame.
Category

1960s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Jama Cement Painting, 1966
Located in Jersey City, NJ
An ebony wood framed cement painting by artist Jama. Signed by artist and dated 1966. Measures: Width 29.75cm length 19.75 cm depth 2.22 cm.
Category

1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Framed Lithograph by Jose Luis Cuevas Small Edition
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist: Jose Luis Cuevas Title: The tortured ones Medium: Lithograph Edition: 11/20 Date:1965 Sheet size: 22 1/4 x 30 inches Signed, dated and number...
Category

1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

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Poor Cow Polish Film Poster, Jan Mlodozeniec, 1969
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Previously Available Items
Exceptionnel stairs "Cité radieuse" by Charles Edouard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier.
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Exceptional staircase called Cité radieuse by Charles Edouard Jeanneret called Le Corbusier (1887-1965) Uprights in larch, eleven steps in exotic wood. Ramps in black lacquered metal manufactured by the Jean Prouvé workshops. Restoration of use and maintenance on the ramps. Dimensions: H: 2.30; L: 69cm Provenance: Housing unit, Briey en Forêt. The staircase, identical in each duplex, is the result of close collaboration between Jean PROUVE and LE CORBUSIER. Its beginnings date back to 1922. Le Corbusier wanted to create "vertical garden cities", capable of simultaneously responding to the aspiration of the individual house (in contact with nature) and the advantages of the collective building (access to modern equipment ). This idea, perfected during the 1930s, resulted in a project for a large building in 1939, with "inner streets", "duplex" apartments, equipped roof terrace and integrated shops. The Briey Housing Unit, also called the Radiant City of Briey-en-Forêt, is a housing unit built between 1959 and 1960 in Meurthe-et-Moselle by the Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier according to the model that he established for Marseille. The housing unit project is part of a larger project for a new residential area in the heart of the forest, in this town in the Lorraine mining basin. It is Georges-Henri Pingusson who is the chief architect of this neighborhood project and who is also building two sets of 100 housing units and a school near the unit. The objective is to accommodate the population then in full increase in connection with the expansion of the iron mines and the steel industry. In 1955, Le Corbusier entered into official contact with the town hall of Briey, he was appointed chief architect of the project and André Wogenscky...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Iron

Andre Acquart, Suite of six wooden doors with painted decoration.
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Andre Acquart (1922-2016) Suite of six wooden doors with painted decoration on one side of an androgynous character holding a candlestick on a pink background. Each door is signed. B...
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1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Wood

Bengt Nordquist, Composition, Oil on Canvas, 1963, Framed
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Bengt Nordquist, Composition, 1963 Oil on canvas The work is dated and signed by the artist Work dimensions 37/50 Framed work Bengt Nordquist (1912 - 2012) is a Swedish artist...
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1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Bengt Nordquist, Composition, Oil on Canvas, 1963, Framed
Bengt Nordquist, Composition, Oil on Canvas, 1963, Framed
Free Shipping
H 14.57 in W 19.69 in D 1.58 in
Large 1964 "String Art" Wall Art
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Very cool vintage 1964 abstract "String Art" Wall Art. Red, White and Black string on a burlap background with a back frame. Walnut wood wedges create relief for the string to float ...
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1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Burlap, String

Large 1964 "String Art" Wall Art
Large 1964 "String Art" Wall Art
H 48 in W 26 in D 0.5 in
Mark Rothko Framed Print "Green, Blue Green on Blue" 1968
By Mark Rothko
Located in Pasadena, TX
Mark Rothko framed print green, blue green on blue 1968 Large format poster featuring Rothko's painting "Blue Green, Blue on Green" Medi...
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1960s Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Paper

Painting by Peter Keil, C 1969, "the Lady", Black & White, Modern Art Style, Art
Located in New York, NY
Painting by Peter Keil, C 1969. "The Lady with The Long Hair. Peter Robert Keil was born to an artist blacksmith father whom he lost very early in his childhood during the Second Wo...
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1960s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Acrylic

Evelyn and Jerry Jerome Ackerman"Acorn" Carving/Sculpture.Panel, Era Industries
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Very few samples of this pattern are in the market today.
Category

1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Wood

'Plage' by Charles Badoisel
Located in London, GB
A beautiful beach scene this oil on canvas is by Charles Badoisel. Signed and also dedicated to 'Catherine & Eric' on verso. Charles Badoisel w...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Paint, Canvas

'Plage' by Charles Badoisel
'Plage' by Charles Badoisel
H 16.93 in W 20.48 in D 1.19 in
1960s Signed Modern Painting Nude of Women
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful and evocative oil on panel painting In this picture of rare intensity, a naked woman is represented in a very interesting pose; she almost seems to have a feeling of shame,...
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1960s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Wood

1960s Signed Modern Painting Nude of Women
1960s Signed Modern Painting Nude of Women
H 24.81 in W 18.9 in D 1.97 in
Ettore Sottsass Umbrella Stand by Rinnovel, Enameled Aluminum
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is one of the most important Italian, designer/artist of all times.
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1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Aluminum

Enrico Benaglia Signed an Dated Modern Painting
By Enrico Benaglia
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on board. “Italian landscape” Signed and dated "Benaglia 1963" Italian artist Ernico Benaglia Original frame In 1969 Enrico Benaglia he showed for the first time at the Roman ga...
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1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art

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Wood, Plywood

Signed 1960's Monochromatic Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A framed monochromatic abstract painting featuring black and white geometric shapes placed on an ivory background. Rectangular forms co...
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1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

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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