International Style Asian Art and Furniture
The International Style, a modernist movement within architecture and furniture design that was given its name by American architect Philip Johnson and historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock, was born during the 1920s and ’30s. It gained steam initially in Europe and then in the United States as a response to the first World War. Building projects associated with the movement, as well as vintage International Style chairs, tables and other furnishings, are minimal and pared back.
Pioneers of the International Style — architect Walter Gropius and his Bauhaus colleagues Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, De Stijl advocate and Dutch architect J.J.P. Oud and visionary designer Le Corbusier — stripped away decorative elements and placed considerable value on functionality and clean lines, integrating the use of industrial materials like steel, concrete and large sheets of glass in their work. Quite aptly, this mode of design and architectural style coincided with an era now known as the Machine Age and became a global symbol of modernism. The primary motive of its practitioners was to address the changing needs of a rapidly industrializing society, especially the demand for office complexes and apartments in large cities, through economical, technologically advanced, yet aesthetically pleasing designs for furniture and buildings.
“Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep,” said Le Corbusier of the philosophy behind his practical modernist architecture.
The International Style’s designers and architects were inspired by the advantages afforded them by the era’s new technology and industrial machinery as well as state-of-the-art materials. Le Corbusier was fond of framing his buildings in steel but reinforced concrete made far more economic sense. He is probably most admired for the iconic private homes and commercial buildings that he designed or codesigned with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, which are spread across the world, from New York City to Paris to Chandigarh, India. Today, Breuer’s Wassily Lounge chair; the elegant LC series created by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand; and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich, are emblems of progressive modernist design and all make prominent use of tubular steel. Vintage originals are the prized cornerstone of collections.
“The International Style is probably the first fundamentally original and widely distributed style since the Gothic,” posited Johnson in the book that accompanied “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition,” an architectural show he cocurated with Hitchcock that featured the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and others. While the term “International Style” had previously been circulating in Europe, when the show opened at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932, it yielded a much broader application of this important style of design.
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2010s French International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
1980s Japanese Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
1980s Japanese Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Tibetan International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Cotton
19th Century Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Metal
20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Bronze
2010s Italian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Reclaimed Wood
Late 20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Indian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Sandstone
Mid-19th Century Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Giltwood
2010s French International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Japanese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Linen, Natural Fiber
2010s Japanese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Linen, Natural Fiber
2010s Italian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Kaolin, Clay, Ceramic
2010s Italian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic, Beech
19th Century Thai Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
2010s Japanese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Linen, Natural Fiber
2010s Italian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Kaolin, Clay, Ceramic
2010s Italian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Beech, Ceramic
2010s Japanese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Stainless Steel
1920s Maghreb Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
19th Century Indian Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Japanese Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century Chinese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Chinese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery
Early 20th Century Chinese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
20th Century Korean International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Brass
1970s French Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wool
19th Century Asian Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic, Clay, Paint
Late 19th Century Papua New Guinean Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Unknown International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
16th Century Indonesian Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Stone
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood, Paper
Early 20th Century Asian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
15th Century and Earlier Thai Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Stoneware
19th Century Thai Antique International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Asian International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Early 20th Century Japanese International Style Asian Art and Furniture
1940s Chinese Vintage International Style Asian Art and Furniture
Ceramic