Modern Decorative Art
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Irish Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Clay, Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Natural Fiber, Burl
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Early 2000s Vietnamese Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paper
Mid-20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Wood
20th Century Unknown Modern Decorative Art
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Canvas, Silk, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Art
Metal
1960s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Paint
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Oak
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century Irish Modern Decorative Art
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Decorative Art
Wool, Felt
1990s American Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
1970s German Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Acrylic
Early 1900s Russian Antique Modern Decorative Art
Gold, Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic
20th Century American Modern Decorative Art
Plastic
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Cedar
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Faience, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal, Brass, Pewter
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Stone, Marble, Copper
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Resin
1980s Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Resin, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Mid-20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Art
Aluminum
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Art
Tapestry, Wool
2010s Colombian Modern Decorative Art
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Decorative Art
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Art
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Art
Resin
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Art
Wood, Paint





