Mid-Century Modern Artists

Mid-century modern is the "it" girl of the interior design world right now, don't you think? Even if it's not your style, it's not a bad thing to have a little bit of mid-century modern in your design. Mixing up styles can add another layer of interest to a room.

One simple way to bring this style into your space is through art. Here, in no particular order, are 21 artists whose work dates from the middle of the last century. Click on the links to see more of their work.

1. Henri Matisse: Rejecting the perfectionist styles that surrounded him during his youth, French Fauvist artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) found himself yearning for quite the opposite. His highly progressive works, many of which challenged societal norms, were characterized by dramatic use of color and highly exaggerated human forms. He spent more than six decades perfecting his rebellious style, painting everything from bold nudes to the mundane moments of everyday life.
   

   

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2. Wassily Kandinsky (1866 – 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Art and sound were one and the same to him, because it is believed he had synaesthesia—a harmless condition that allowed him to appreciate two or more senses simultaneously. Kandinsky could not only see the color blue, he could hear it—he associated colors and tones with specific musical timbres. Part of his goal as an artist was to depict and share his synaesthetic experiences. The result is a painting that is complex and visually stimulating, with color combinations that reverberate.
   

   

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3. Paul Klee
4. Amedeo Modigliani
5. Marc Chagall
6. Diego Rivera
7. Edward Hopper

   

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8. Andrew Wyeth
9. Pablo Picasso: One of the most-recognized figures in 20th century art, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer. His early success, through the Blue Period (1901-1904) and Rose Period (1904-1906) led to the establishment of Cubism (1909-1912) – one of his major contributions to the art world. Picasso's personal life was as controversial as his work – he was known for his love affairs, often with studio models that became his muses. In addition to his many affairs, he had two wives and four children.
10. Piet Mondrian
11. Georgia O'Keeffe
12. Man Ray

    

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13. Joan Miro
14. Rene Magritte
15. Salvador Dali: Spanish artist Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989) was a groundbreaking icon of the Surrealist movement and one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. His work probed the unconscious world of thoughts, dreams, and perception in fanciful and nightmarish images influenced by Freud, Cubism, Futurism, and metaphysical art. Extraordinarily imaginative, he also sculpted, and contributed to fashion, photography, and theater. Dalí's art has been called the epitome of Surrealism.
16. Willem De Kooning
17. Jackson Pollock
    

    

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18. Mark Rothko
19. Roy Lichtenstein
20. Andy Warhol: Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame has lasted 25 years. Born in 1928, he left a huge legacy behind when he passed away in 1987 after routine gall bladder surgery. From drawings, paintings, and prints to videography, publishing, and performance, he produced more than art -- he was essentially his own brand. From haunting black and white self-portraits to Polaroid snapshots of celebrities, many of the photos in the collection later became the inspiration for Warhol's most well-known Pop Art pieces.
21. Robert Indiana

The descriptions of the artist's work, where available, is from Art.com and each artist's name links to a page of their work on their site. This is not a sponsored post; I just like art and appreciate the thoroughness of their website, including being able to buy print reproductions, often inexpensively, in a variety of sizes, with or without framing.