Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Australian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood
1970s British Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1990s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paint, Epoxy Resin
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Rubber
Mid-20th Century British Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Plate, Stainless Steel
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Japanese Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plaster
1950s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic
2010s Dutch Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wool
1970s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Enamel
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Fabric, Paper
Late 20th Century German Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Leather, Paper
Early 2000s English Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Crystal, Metal
20th Century Swiss Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Linen, Paper
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Linen, Silk
Early 2000s American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1990s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stone, Sterling Silver
1940s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Aluminum
1970s English Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal, Gold
20th Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Foil
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Marble, Metal, Chrome
1980s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
1970s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
20th Century American Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
1970s German Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain, Wood
Early 2000s Hong Kong Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Plastic, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Stainless Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1960s American Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
2010s Canadian Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Cherry, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Metal
2010s Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper
1980s Russian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Porcelain
1950s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Sterling Silver
1940s Spanish Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Wood
2010s Dutch Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Bamboo
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
20th Century Mexican Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Brass, Bronze
1980s French Vintage Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Paper





