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Modern Sculptures

MODERN STYLE

The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.

Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.

The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.

Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.

Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Modern
Period: 19th Century
Antique, 19th C. Peugeot Frères Brevetés French Coffee Grinder Table Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
This is being sold as a piece of (functional?) decorator table sculpture for a kitchen or restaurant. I do not know if or how it works. the wheel and gears turn. It might be missing ...
Category

Late 19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Brass

Il Bernini - Sculpture by Ambrogio Borghi - 1884
Located in Roma, IT
The bronze proposed here was initially presented in November 1878 at the Competition for the Encouragement of Brera. It is therefore one of the first celebratory works of the sculptor Ambrogio Borghi...
Category

1880s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Didactic Torso Model by Jozef Steger, designed by Carl E. Bock.
Located in brussel, BE
The German sculpture Franz Josef Steger (1845-1938), under the guidance of Professor Wilhelm His (1831-1904) and based on the designs of anatomist Carl Ernst Bock (1809-1874), revol...
Category

19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Plaster

Portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi - Original Marble Sculpture - Late 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
This Portrait go Giuseppe Garibaldi is an original decorative marble sculpture realized in Italy by Italian manufacture during the end of the XIX century. The alabaster marble sta...
Category

Late 19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble

La Pensée Volante (The Flying Thought)
Located in New Orleans, LA
This striking conceptualization of "a flying thought" was composed by the famed Cuban-born artist Agustin Cárdenas. Entitled La Pensée Volante (The Fl...
Category

19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

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"Shrimp Appetizer", Seafood, Crochet Acrylic in Vintage Frame, lemons
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Mid Century Sgraffito, Saltimbanque and the Card Player, Circle of Picasso.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid 20th Century sgraffito work on plaster by Jean Pierre de Cayeux. The work is signed and dated on the skirt of the card player, bottom right, and on the stretcher of the chair, bo...
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Polish Modernist Man Leaping Leopard Bronze Expressionist Art Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
Signed bronze from small edition of 8. plus 4 artists proofs Dominic Albinski, was born in South Africa, in 1975. He started sculpting, at a young age, at the Art Classes of Mercia Desmond, in Johannesburg. From the start, his talent for capturing movement, and character in his human, and animal figures was remarkable. Dominic had a happy childhood, spending his time in the studio, where he studied art and anatomy, which was later to become one of the major themes of his sculptures. He also spent a lot of time on the South African coast; Durban, North Coast and Cape, Plettenburg Bay and in the bush Kruger Park, Okovango Swamps, Chobe and Pilansberg game reserves. He was a good student, but preferred sculpting in his studio, among his artworks, than studying. After finishing High School (St John’s College), he left for Paris, to start a life of independence, in the French capital, famous for artists like Rodin, Bugatti, Carpeaux, Daumier, Giacometti, and Picasso, who inspired him. He was excepted into the prestigious Institute of Political Science. However, his passion for sculpture, made him choose sculpture as a career. He started studying sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and with the British Sculptor, James Butler in England. Here, he learnt observation and techniques that would stand him in good stead later, when he came back to France, as a Professor of Communication at the renowned Ecole Francaise D’Attache de Presse near the Champs Elysees. He had his first major exhibition at the Arnaud Gallery in Verneuil sur Avre in Normandy. A collector, found interest in his work, and created a vast collection of his bronzes, as well as promoting Dominic in various galleries in the region of Normandy, and Touraine, such as Galerie 21 and Club de Arche de Noe, in Tours and Galerie des Remparts, and Eclat de Verre, in Le Mans. He also exhibited in La Rochelle in the Galerie Hourdin, and Bordeaux at the Galerie des Remparts. During this period he studied Literature at the Sorbonne. In Paris, several galleries took Dominic’s work, including Galerie Arcima, on Rue St Jaques, Galerie Herouet, in the Marais, Galerie Etienne de Causans on rue de Seine, or Galerie Mouvances, on Place des Vosges. Dominic participated in a wildlife exhibition in Trocadero Center, and at the Hotel de Ville of Puteux. His sculpture Madness, was chosen to be exhibited as a finalist at the Brain-Up competition, in the Palais de Congres. This impressive sculpture, measuring 1m 60 is in the collection of the Hospital in Lille, and the Mandela Collection in Sandton South Africa, among other collections. In Poland, he had an exhibition in the Canadian Embassy Residence, in the South African Embassy, and in the French Embassy. His work “Man with Pipe” is in the collection of the Canadian Ambassador. His work “Portrait of Agnes” was acquired by the South African Ambassador who, opened Dominic’s exhibition in the Jagellonian University in Krakow, Holiday Inn, and in Galeria Mokotow, in Warsaw. He had an exhibiton in the Warsaw Financial Center on Emili Platter Street, and in the Sculpture Gallery on Jana Pawla street. Later, he exhibited in the Gallery of the Polish War Museum on Krakowskie Przedmiescie, on Nowy Swiat 44, in the Center of Promotion of Culture, Mazowieckie Center of Culture and in the Jan Nowak Jezorianski Center. His work was showcased in the Napiorkowska Gallery, Zapiecek Gallery on the square of the Old Town in Warsaw, Hunters Gallery, and Warsaw Art Gallery in the Marriot Hotel, and sold on various Auctions, such as Rempex, Agra Art, and Polswiss. Back in South Africa, Dominic had much success among his native art galleries, having his first major exhibition at the Mandela Square Gallery, in Sandton. Art Galleries, hearing of his exhibitions in France, took his work, such as the Cherie de Villiers Gallery, in the Mall, in Rosebank, and the Van den Berg Gallery, in Potchefstroom. Dominic also took his work to the USA, where he exhibited at the Modern Show in New York, and at the Dauphin Descours Gallery on Madison Avenue, and the Yew Tree House Antiques Gallery in New York, as well as the Geary Gallery, in Darion, and the Lions Gallery...
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KIng David with Harp
Located in Surfside, FL
American sculptor Hana Geber (1910 - 1990) She was born in Prague of Czechoslovakian heritage and eventually settled in New York. Her sculptures deal with Jewish themes...
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20th Century Modern Sculptures

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KIng David with Harp
KIng David with Harp
H 8.75 in W 4 in D 5 in
2 Sculptures: "The Power" & "The Glory" WPA Depression WWII era mid 20th century
Located in New York, NY
2 Sculptures: "The Power" & "The Glory" WPA Depression WWII era mid 20th century by Agnes Yarnall circa 1940s. Sculptor, painter, poet and artistic historian, Agnes Yarnall has, since the age of six been breathing life into her art. Renowned as a sculptor, whose commissioned portrayals of contemporary celebrities are prized. She has sculpted Judith Anderson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Carl Sandburg...
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Surreal Sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Surrealist bronze sculpture by Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn depicting a male figure with hands reaching into his chest. Published to benefit the World ...
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Industrial Machine Age American Scene WPA Mid 20th Century 1939 SF World's Fair
Located in New York, NY
Industrial Machine Age American Scene WPA Mid 20th Century 1939 SF World's Fair HAIG PATIGIAN (American/Armenian, 1876-1950) Aeronautics Pediments Two Plaster Casts, c. 1930s each 13.25 x 14.75 x 6 inches It's possible these moquettes were created for the 1939 World's Fair, the Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco. Provenance: Private Collection of Lois M. Wright, Author of "A Catalogue of the Life Works of Haig Patigian, San Francisco Sculptor, 1876-1950),” 1967 Loan to Oakland Museum of California (Oakland, CA) BIO Haig Patigian is noted for his classical works, which are especially numerous in public venues in San Francisco, California. Patigian was born in Van, Armenia, which at that time was under Turkish rule. Haig was the son of Avedis and Marine Patigian, both teachers in the American Mission School there. He and his older brother showed an aptitude for art early on and were encouraged by their parents. Their father himself had taken up the new hobby of photography. The 1880s were harsh times, however, for many Armenians under an oppressive rule by the Turkish government. Many people were fleeing to the safety of the United States. Suspicious Turkish authorities accused his father of photographing city structures for the Russian government, and in 1888 he fled for his life to America. Haigs father made his way to Fresno, California, and began life anew as a ranch hand. Within two years he sent for his wife, as well as Haig, his three sisters and brother, and in 1891 the Patigians made the journey from Armenia. Haigs father, an industrious man, worked on various farms, and eventually bought his own ranch and vineyard. It was among fertile farmland of Fresno that Haig grew up. Young Haigs education consisted of teachings by his parents and by intermittent attendance in public schools. Although he had dreams of becoming an artist, he did not have the opportunity for formal study of art, and began working long days in the vineyards around Fresno. At age seventeen, Haig made a step towards his dreams and apprenticed himself to learn the trade of sign painting. In his spare time he nurtured his interest in art by painting nature and life scenes with watercolors and oil paints. When his sign-painting mentor left Fresno, Haig opened his own shop and made a name for himself in the town. San Francisco, in the meantime, had been attracting artists since the Gold Rush and had become a thriving art center. Within a few years, Haig had put aside several hundred dollars to move to San Francisco, joining his brother who was already working there as an illustrator. In 1899, when he was twenty-three, Haig had saved enough money to enroll at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute in San Francisco. Like many aspiring artists of his time, Patigian supported himself by working as a staff artist in the art department of a local newspaper, and in the winter of 1900, nearing his 24th birthday, Haig began work for the San Francisco Bulletin, producing cartoons, black and white illustrations, as well as watercolors. In 1902 tragedy struck Haig and his family. His 29-year-old brother died of pneumonia, and then his frail mother died a short time later. Five months more saw his youngest sister, just out of high school, die too. Saddened and depressed, Haig moved out of the studio he had shared with his brother, and into a dilapidated studio in a poor section of town. During this time of sadness, Haig fed a growing interest in sculpture. In 1904 Haig created what he later called his "first finished piece in sculpture". The work, called "The Unquiet Soul", depicted a man thrown back against a rock while waves lash at his feet. The body was tense and twisted, with one hand, in Haig's own words, "searchingly leaning and clutching the rock, while the other masks his troubled head". The Press Club of San Francisco, which Haig had joined in 1901, put "The Unquiet Soul" on exhibition and local headlines proclaimed "Local Newspaper Artist Embraces Sculptor's Art", and "First Work Predicts Brilliant Future". With the support of friends and community acclaim, the young illustrator left his newspaper job and became a professional sculptor. The path of his new career was not easy though. Haig had never made much money working for the newspaper and his father needed help with growing debt from funeral expenses and business problems. From time to time Haig sold some artwork, but also occasionally borrowed from friends to pay the rent. He was the classic 'starving artist'. In the spring of 1905 a white-bearded 81-year-old stranger knocked on Haig's door. It was George Zehndner, from Arcata, California. Zehndner had been born in Bavaria, Germany in 1824, the son of a farmer. In 1849 he had come to America looking for prosperity, settling in Indiana, where he worked on a farm and learned English. He found his way to the West Coast in 1852. Penniless, he worked in various jobs from San Francisco to Sacramento, then found some luck working in the gold fields of Weaverville in Trinity County, and eventually moving to a farm on 188 acres near Arcata. In his 77th year in May of 1901, Zahndner had taken a trip to San Jose, where he stood in a crowd to see a man he thought much of, President William McKinley. McKinley was popular as 'the first modern president' partially because he realized going out to meet the common person increased his support. In September of that year, however, an anarchist assassinated the president while he stood in a receiving line at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York. Soon after, the city of San Jose erected a statue of the slain president in St. James Park. Zehndner took a second trip to San Jose where he visited the McKinley monument. Touched, Zehndner decided that, no matter the cost, his town of Arcata too would memorialize McKinley. George Zehndner had read about Haig in a newspaper article and asked if Patigian would create a heroic statue of the late President McKinley for Arcata. When asked how much it would cost, Haig responded, despite his borderline poverty, with the fabulous sum of $15,000. Zehndner agreed. The President was to be portrayed standing, wearing an overcoat, with his feet planted squarely on the ground. In the finished statue, one hand is held out before him in a typical posture of speaking, with the other hand holding the speech as his side. The 9-foot statue...
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1930s Modern Sculptures

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Plaster

Daniel Arsham FUTURE RELIC 07 CASSETTE PLAYER Limited Sculpture Sony Walkman 90s
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Daniel Arsham - FUTURE RELIC 07 - CASSETTE PLAYER Date of creation: 2017 Medium: Plaster and crushed glass Edition number: 476/500 Size: 12.7 × 14.6 × 14 cm Condition: In mint condi...
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2010s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Glass, Plaster

Leda and the Swan modernist mid century sculpture by French woman artist
Located in Norwich, GB
A unique piece: a hand modelled sculpture by French artist Jeannine Nathan (b.1924). Working in Paris, Jeannine was able to visit Picasso’s studio, and was impressed by the Master’s ...
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1960s Modern Sculptures

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Plaster

"CD-ROM", Internet Icon, Textiles, Crochet Acrylic on Plexiglass
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "CD-ROM" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crochet acrylic on plexiglass. Thi...
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21st Century and Contemporary Modern Sculptures

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Yarn, Plexiglass, Acrylic

Previously Available Items
Jeune fille confiant son premier secret à Vénus
By François Jouffroy
Located in Wien, 9
Bronze with dark Patina on a Marble Base
Category

1830s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Laocoon Group - Bronze Sculpture by F. Barbedienne - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Laocoon Group is an original Modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Barbedienne (6 August 1810 – 21 March 1892) in the Second half of the 19th Century. Bronze sculpture after the Anti...
Category

19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Sculpture Marble Mother & Child Biomorphic 3ft 10in high Modernist Abstract
Located in Eversholt, Bedfordshire
Artist Unknown. A massive 45½“high modernist Mother & Child, Henry Moore inspired abstract biomorphic, grey, marble sculpture, 20th century. Private Coll...
Category

1880s Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Bull - Original Bronze Sculpture - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Bull is a beautiful bronze decorative object realized by the italian sculptor Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867). The piece has a marble base 3x9x7,5 cm. Good condition, signs of oxidation.
Category

Mid-19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Louis d’Orléans - Original Bronze Sculpture by Emmanuel Frémiet - 1870 ca
Located in Roma, IT
Louis d’Orléans is a bronze sculpture realized by Emmanuel Frémiet in 1870 ca. Signature on the base: "E.Fremiet". The piece is in very good conditions. Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-191...
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1870s Modern Sculptures

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Bronze

19th C Didactic Wooden "Babymachine" Obstetrician's model designed by F. Mathieu
Located in brussel, BE
This Wooden Model is considered the second generation of a "Madame Du Coudray's Babymachine," a mannequin for teaching obstetrics, invented in the 18th C. by a midwife determined to combat the ignorance of country midwives who endangered the lives of women and children. Madame Du Coudray spent twenty-five years traveling the towns and cities of France, teaching her methods and selling her ingenious "Babymachine." Only one example of the original machine, patented in 1778, survived and is on display in Flaubert and the History of Medicine in Rouen. It includes a life-size mannequin representing the lower part of the female body, a doll the size of a new-born baby, and various accessories demonstrating female anatomy...
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19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Our Lady of the Goldfinch - Original Marble Sculpture - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Our Lady of the Goldfinch is an original marble sculpture realized by unknown sculptor "P.G. Gambino" of the Italian School of XIX century. White marble...
Category

19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Antique, 19th C. Peugeot Frères Brevetés French Coffee Grinder Table Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
This is being sold as a piece of (functional?) decorator table sculpture for a kitchen or restaurant. I do not know if or how it works. the wheel and gears turn. It might be missing ...
Category

Late 19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Brass

TURKISH GRAIN SCRAPER
Located in Tulsa, OK
This 19th century Turkish grain scraper is a piece giving a room texture and warmth. The grain scraper has many sharp stones inside small pockets, this was the major function of the ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Modern Sculptures

Materials

Stone

TURKISH GRAIN SCRAPER
H 68 in W 30.5 in

Modern sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Scott Troxel, Pablo Picasso, Richard Orlinski, and Stefan Traloc. Frequently made by artists working with Metal, and Bronze and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern sculptures, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available. Prices for sculptures made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $580,000, while the average work sells for $3,733.

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