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PAUL EVANS | “Verdigris Copper Loop” Wall-Mounted Cabinet
估價
80,000 - 120,000 USD
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招標截止
描述
- Paul Evans
- “Verdigris Copper Loop” Wall-Mounted Cabinet
- welded copper with applied verdigris patina, steel, brass, wood, gold leaf
- 72 x 24 5/8 x 15 3/4 in. (190.5 x 62.5 x 40 cm)
- 1968
來源
Commissioned directly from the artist by Mr. and Mrs. Margolit, New Jersey, 1968
Thence by descent to the present owner
Thence by descent to the present owner
出版
Todd Merrill, ed., Modern Americana: Studio Furniture From High Craft to High Glam, New York, 2008, p. 95 (for a related example from the series)
Jeffrey Head, Paul Evans: Designer & Sculptor, Atglen, PA, 2012, p. 56 (for a smaller example from the series)
Constance Kimmerle, ed., Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism, exh. cat., James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2014, p. 157, cat. 33 (for a smaller example from the series)
Jeffrey Head, Paul Evans: Designer & Sculptor, Atglen, PA, 2012, p. 56 (for a smaller example from the series)
Constance Kimmerle, ed., Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism, exh. cat., James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, 2014, p. 157, cat. 33 (for a smaller example from the series)
拍品資料及來源
In the Loop: Paul Evans’ “Verdigris Copper Loop” Cabinet
Following World War II, America was enamored with the idealized figure of the “designer-craftsman,” who could make unique objects of high quality and also consult with industry. Unfortunately this goal remained elusive for most. Artisans couldn’t produce in sufficient quantity to make a decent profit, and too few industrial firms were interested in their ideas. But there were a few success stories.
One of the most successful of all was Paul Evans. He began as a metalsmith in 1955, working in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in business partnership with Phillip Lloyd Powell. He rapidly diversified into furniture, working with a team of highly skilled artisans (notably expert wood- and metalworker Dorsey Reading) to realize mixed-medium objects, featuring a rich palette of materials and patinas. In 1964 Evans struck up a relationship with Directional Furniture, fulfilling the “designer-craftsman” project of informing mass production through his expertise.
The wall-mounted cabinet offered here was made exclusively in Evans’ own shop, and sold through his and Powell’s showroom. It is a comparatively late—but generously sized—example from the Verdigris Loop series, which he inaugurated in the late 1950s. Like almost all of his work, it features a compelling contrast in texture, with narrow strips of copper alternating with passages of brass studs. A rhythm is set up across the facade by varying the number of loops—three, four, five, or six. This pattern would have been established intuitively by the maker, according to general instructions laid out by Evans. The verdigris (an oxidized surface akin to that on aged copper, like the skin of the Statue of Liberty) adds additional variety.
Thus, like almost all his pieces, the Verdigris Loop cabinet is a slightly open system, deriving its interest not just from the boldness of the basic conception, but the individualistic manner of its execution. In this respect, Evans’ work exemplified the “designer-craftsman” ethos. As much as anyone else in his generation, he found a way to infuse serial production with a human touch.
GLENN ADAMSON
Following World War II, America was enamored with the idealized figure of the “designer-craftsman,” who could make unique objects of high quality and also consult with industry. Unfortunately this goal remained elusive for most. Artisans couldn’t produce in sufficient quantity to make a decent profit, and too few industrial firms were interested in their ideas. But there were a few success stories.
One of the most successful of all was Paul Evans. He began as a metalsmith in 1955, working in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in business partnership with Phillip Lloyd Powell. He rapidly diversified into furniture, working with a team of highly skilled artisans (notably expert wood- and metalworker Dorsey Reading) to realize mixed-medium objects, featuring a rich palette of materials and patinas. In 1964 Evans struck up a relationship with Directional Furniture, fulfilling the “designer-craftsman” project of informing mass production through his expertise.
The wall-mounted cabinet offered here was made exclusively in Evans’ own shop, and sold through his and Powell’s showroom. It is a comparatively late—but generously sized—example from the Verdigris Loop series, which he inaugurated in the late 1950s. Like almost all of his work, it features a compelling contrast in texture, with narrow strips of copper alternating with passages of brass studs. A rhythm is set up across the facade by varying the number of loops—three, four, five, or six. This pattern would have been established intuitively by the maker, according to general instructions laid out by Evans. The verdigris (an oxidized surface akin to that on aged copper, like the skin of the Statue of Liberty) adds additional variety.
Thus, like almost all his pieces, the Verdigris Loop cabinet is a slightly open system, deriving its interest not just from the boldness of the basic conception, but the individualistic manner of its execution. In this respect, Evans’ work exemplified the “designer-craftsman” ethos. As much as anyone else in his generation, he found a way to infuse serial production with a human touch.
GLENN ADAMSON