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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s German Modern Sculptures
Ash, Cherry, Oak, Walnut, Wood
Early 20th Century French Modern Sculptures
Wood
1980s French Vintage Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
2010s Modern Sculptures
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Stone
20th Century North American Modern Sculptures
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century American Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Japanese Modern Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint
2010s North American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Metal, Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Reclaimed Wood, Paint, Mirror
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Brass
Early 2000s American Modern Sculptures
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Limestone, Bronze
20th Century Italian Modern Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
1970s American Vintage Modern Sculptures
Art Glass
1990s French Modern Sculptures
Enamel
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Jute, Plaster
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass
1980s English Vintage Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
20th Century Unknown Modern Sculptures
Plaster
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Other
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Spanish Modern Sculptures
Stoneware, Rope
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Sculptures
Gold Leaf, Bronze
2010s Chinese Modern Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s American Modern Sculptures
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass
1990s Modern Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Sculptures
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s British Modern Sculptures
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Aluminum
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s Scandinavian Modern Sculptures
Brass
2010s French Modern Sculptures
Oak
2010s Italian Modern Sculptures
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Sculptures
Concrete, Cement