Modern Sculptures
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Swedish Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s South African Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
1930s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay, Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Glass
2010s African Modern Sculptures
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Murano Glass
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Oak, Walnut, Maple, Hardwood
2010s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Glass
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Sculptures
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Plaster, Jute, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Wood
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s Modern Sculptures
Lacquer
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Mirror, Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Metal, Wire, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Rose Quartz
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble, Statuary Marble
20th Century European Modern Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Sculptures
Bronze
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Spanish Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware, Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass