Modern Barware
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 Japanese Modern Barware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Barware
Brass
1980s Danish Vintage Modern Barware
Brass, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Barware
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Silver Plate
1970s American Vintage Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Bamboo, Lucite
1970s French Vintage Modern Barware
Wicker, Cane, Rattan, Resin, Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Mexican Modern Barware
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Modern Barware
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Crystal
2010s American Modern Barware
Brass
1970s European Vintage Modern Barware
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Crystal, Metal, Gold Plate, Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
20th Century American Modern Barware
Chrome
1980s Vintage Modern Barware
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Barware
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Barware
Glass
20th Century Modern Barware
Art Glass
1960s British Vintage Modern Barware
Silver
Late 20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Barware
Glass
1950s French Vintage Modern Barware
Chrome
1960s French Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
2010s Argentine Modern Barware
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Barware
Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century French Modern Barware
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
1980s French Vintage Modern Barware
Crystal
1950s French Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Aluminum, Copper
1970s French Vintage Modern Barware
Silver
20th Century American Modern Barware
Chrome, Copper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
1990s English Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
1930s English Vintage Modern Barware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
20th Century French Modern Barware
Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Barware
Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
1980s British Vintage Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Silver Plate, Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Barware
Metal, Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Barware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Barware
Murano Glass