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Modern Tribal Art

MODERN STYLE

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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chaircrafted 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.

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Style: Modern
Vintage Pal Kepenyes Bronze/Brass Necklace, 20th Century
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Vintage Pal Kepenyes bronze/brass necklace, 20th century. This Hungarian born artist worked in Mexico for decades, known for free-form sculptural jewelry...
Category

20th Century Mexican Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Brass, Bronze

19th Century Forged Iron Deer-Form Teeth Blackening Ritual Dish
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
A rare 19th-century Japanese iron ohaguro tsubo-a ritual teeth-blackening dish-formed as a stylized deer. These were traditionally used to hold the heated iron implement and mixture ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Antique Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Modernist Dan Peoples Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
A chic modernist early 20th century Dan Peoples stool from Ivory Coast, carved from one piece of wood with a simple hourglass form, and the most wonderful p...
Category

Early 20th Century Ivorian Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Triptych Australian Aboriginal Paintings Tingari Ronnie Tjampitjinpa
Located in Atlanta, GA
A triptych panel painting by Australian Aboriginal artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (1943-2023). Entitled "Tingari Cycle", the artwork was painted in 2002 for Art Mob, Tasmania in oil on c...
Category

Early 2000s Australian Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Canvas

Australian Aboriginal Painting Rain Dreaming Ronnie Tjampitjinpa
Located in Atlanta, GA
A contemporary painting by Australian Aboriginal artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (1943-2023). Entitled "Rain Dreaming", the artwork was acrylic on canvas and painted in 1999 Fully documented: originally purchased in 1999 from Kimberley Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, cat. no. KA 708/99; The in the collection of The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica; It was exhibited in: "G'Day LA" Australia Week, in partnership with the Australian Consulate Los Angeles, Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA, 15-25 January 2004. It is housed in a black thin wood frame. Ronnie Tjampitjinpa was born in Pintupi land at Muyinnga, about 100 kilometres west of the Kintore Range, just across the Western Australian border. He is the son of Uta Uta Tjangala’s older brother, Minpuru Tjangala (c.1899–1976). Artist's Biography (Courtesy of Art Gallery NSW) After his initiation into Pintupi law at the site of Yumari, Tjampitjinpa and his younger brother Smithy Zimran Tjampitjinpa walked into the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. They later joined their parents and other siblings – who had come in to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) in 1956 from the Dover Hills/Yumari area – at the new settlement of Papunya. Tjampitjinpa worked as a labourer, assisting with the fencing of the aerodromes at Papunya and Ikuntji. He was one of the youngest of the group of men who began painting at the start of the Western Desert art movement in 1971, and was a founder of Paunya Tula Artists. During the 1970s, Tjampitjinpa was preoccupied with returning to his traditional lands and became a strong advocate for the outstation movement, travelling between meetings in Papunya, Yuendumu, Wirrimanu (Balgo) and Mount Doreen Station. His goal was finally achieved with the establishment of the Walungurru (Kintore) settlement in 1981. Tjampitjinpa moved there with his young family in 1983, establishing an outstation at Ininti (Redbank) and serving as chairman of the Kintore Outstation Council. During this period, he emerged as one of Papunya Tula Artists’ major painters, pioneering the bold, scaled-up, linear style that came to dominate many of the Walungurru painters’ work during the 1990s. His distinctive aesthetic preoccupa-tion is exemplified in the untitled works of 1994 and 2001. Now one of the last founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, Tjampitjinpa’s career spans more than 40 years. He has had six solo exhibitions since 1989 in Australia, most recently at Utopia Art, Sydney. Throughout the 1980s Tjampitjinpa worked devotedly on a land claim for Ininti, holding meetings in Darwin, Warmun (Turkey Creek...
Category

1990s Australian Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Baoulé portrait mask, carved wood, lacquer and pigments, circa 1940, Africa.
Located in Nice, Cote d Azur
Baoulé portrait mask, carved wood, lacquer and pigments, circa 1940, Africa. Height 29 cm, width 17 cm, depth 14 cm.
Category

1940s African Vintage Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Mambila Large Female Figure African Sculpture
Located in Sharon, CT
Authentic old piece, retaining some of the original painted surface. Art from the Cameroon tribes played a great role in influencing and inspiring the German Expressionists. Though ...
Category

Early 20th Century Cameroonian Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Pipa Reale in Bronzo Arte Bamun Camerun Africa Terzo Quarto del XX Secolo
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Pipa reale in bronzo. Arte bamun, Camerun regione di Foumban.
Category

1980s Cameroonian Vintage Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Bronze

"Tenderness" Native American Painting by Carol Theroux (USA 1930-2021)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing "Tenderness" Native American Painting by Carol Theroux (USA 1930-2021), a captivating piece of art that encapsulates the profound ...
Category

1980s American Vintage Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

Tribal Ceremonial Silver Ornament/Neckrings, Sculpture, Miao, Guizhou, Plus Stand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a great and important ceremonial neck rings ware by the people of the Minorities of China, the Golden triangle ,Mongolia and Tibet. These pieces were made of low content of s...
Category

20th Century Chinese Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Metal

African Bantu Art, Expressive, Surrealistic Gouache by Marcel Gotène
Located in Salzburg, AT
The famous painter, Marcel Gotène (Icon of the contemporary Bantu art) combines surrealistic impressions with modern tapisserie elements. Born in 1935 in Yaba, Republic of Kongo, di...
Category

1980s Congolese Vintage Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Silver Leaf

African Bantu Art, Expressive, Surrealistic Gouache by Marcel Gotène 1980s
Located in Salzburg, AT
The famous painter, Marcel Gotène (Icon of the contemporary Bantu art) combines surrealistic impressions with modern tapisserie elements. Born in 1935 in Yaba, Republic of Kongo - d...
Category

1980s Congolese Vintage Modern Tribal Art

Materials

Silver Leaf

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Located in Oak Harbor, OH
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This set of 3 pieces of African currency is very interesting. Looking like some sort of ancient maraca, these 19th century pieces jingle and noise-make with each step. The dimensions...
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Previously Available Items
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Mid-20th Century Zimbabwean Modern Tribal Art

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20th Century Zulu Beer Pot
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20th Century South African Modern Tribal Art

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Signed Terra Cotta Hand Feet Foot Head Sculpture 1974
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Modern tribal art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Modern tribal art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage tribal art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, seating, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern tribal art made in a specific country, there are Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original tribal art, popular names associated with this style include Marcel Gotène, and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for tribal art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $750 and tops out at $30,000 while the average work can sell for $1,675.

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