Modern Wall Decorations
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 English Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Late 20th Century Canadian Modern Wall Decorations
Crayon, Paint, Paper
2010s French Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Plastic
1990s Modern Wall Decorations
Acrylic
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Silk, Paint
1970s American Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
1950s French Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
1970s American Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 2000s American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 2000s Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Wood, Paper
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Aluminum
Early 2000s North American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Wrought Iron
2010s Mexican Modern Wall Decorations
Other
1960s Spanish Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s German Modern Wall Decorations
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Clay, Organic Material
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Wall Decorations
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1980s Mexican Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
2010s German Modern Wall Decorations
Steel, Other
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Ceramic
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Mirror, Wood, Glass
2010s Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Ceramic
2010s German Modern Wall Decorations
Steel
20th Century French Modern Wall Decorations
Canvas, Wood, Paint
2010s Danish Modern Wall Decorations
Foam
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Clay, Organic Material
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Clay, Organic Material
2010s Peruvian Modern Wall Decorations
Tapestry
Mid-20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Marble, Stainless Steel
1950s Danish Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Clay, Organic Material
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Cotton, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood, Paint, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Wall Decorations
Wood, Paint
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Wire
2010s American Modern Wall Decorations
Canvas
1950s French Vintage Modern Wall Decorations
Paint
2010s Spanish Modern Wall Decorations
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Wall Decorations
Paper
Mid-20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Wall Decorations
Plexiglass, Paper
Late 20th Century American Modern Wall Decorations
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Wall Decorations
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Wall Decorations
Brass, Stainless Steel, Gold Leaf