Modern Textiles
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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
21st Century and Contemporary Persian Modern Textiles
Wool
2010s American Modern Textiles
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Silk, Velvet
Early 2000s Uzbek Modern Textiles
Silk, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Textiles
Silk, Paint
Early 2000s Uzbek Modern Textiles
Silk, Velvet
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
1960s Japanese Vintage Modern Textiles
Silk
1990s French Modern Textiles
Silk
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Persian Modern Textiles
Wool
Mid-20th Century Congolese Modern Textiles
Raffia
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
1970s Japanese Vintage Modern Textiles
Down, Linen, Silk
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
Late 20th Century Turkish Modern Textiles
Paper
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Modern Textiles
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Textiles
Wool
1970s American Vintage Modern Textiles
Silk, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Modern Textiles
Textile
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Textiles
Fabric
19th Century Japanese Antique Modern Textiles
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Cotton, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Linen, Silk
1910s Persian Vintage Modern Textiles
Late 20th Century Persian Modern Textiles
Silk
1970s North American Vintage Modern Textiles
Canvas
1880s Persian Antique Modern Textiles
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Cotton, Silk, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Cotton, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Cotton, Silk
1920s Uzbek Vintage Modern Textiles
Silk, Cotton
Early 20th Century Turkmen Modern Textiles
Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Cotton, Silk
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Modern Textiles
Silk, Velvet
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Japanese Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen
2010s Asian Modern Textiles
Linen