T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

Sollo-Rago Modern Auctions, Lambertville, 25 and 26 October 2008, lot 158

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Private collection, Europe

House Beautiful, May 1952, cover, p. 145 and 147

Alexander Paine, Jaime Zemaitis, The coffee table coffee table book, London, 2003, p. 99, the model referenced under number 60

Todd Merill, Julie V. Iovine, Modern Americana, New York, 2008, p. 200-201

The Mesa table by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings is one of the designer's major works and one of the most powerful expressions of American design in the 1950s.

Designed in 1951 and produced by the Widdicomb Furniture Company in various sizes and finishes, it is distinguished by its free-form, stepped shape, inspired by an aerial view of the plateaus of New Mexico.

With its ample yet low proportions and fluid form, the Mesa table fits perfectly into the vast communal living spaces of American ranches, which Robsjohn-Gibbings considered to be “modern architecture at its most relaxed and unpretentious.” The use of American walnut, combined with fluid forms, illustrates the designer's desire to anchor his design in local craft traditions, far removed from international modernism.

This abstract interpretation of the Mesa tabletop reflected Robsjohn-Gibbings' desire to create a contemporary American design deeply rooted in the country's culture.

The Mesa table appeared on the cover of House Beautiful in May 1952.

Today, it is an essential reference in 20th-century design. Its abstract sculptural form and its interplay of levels, which allow various objects to be arranged in elegant compositions, make it a work that captivates with its elegant presence and remains timeless.