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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Steel
1960s British Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Late 20th Century Irish Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic, Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wool
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Stoneware
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wool
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paint
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Glass, Wood, Paper
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Lava
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Paint
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Resin, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paper
1990s Philippine Modern Decorative Art
Copper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Plexiglass, Wood, Paper
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Art
Iron
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Art
Glass
Mid-20th Century European Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Brass, Iron
1980s European Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Bronze
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Iron
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint
20th Century English Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Decorative Art
Plastic, Oak
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paint, Canvas
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Paint
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Paint
1990s Danish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1990s Swedish Modern Decorative Art
Paper
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint