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Lot 85:
Description
Paul R. Evans ‘Patchwork’ Coffee/Cocktail Table with Glass Top
Paul R. Evans (American, 1931-1987). ‘Patchwork Table’. United States, 1964- 70’s. Designed for Directional. Of brutalist design in welded and patinated steel, 1/2" thick smoked glass top, square with rounded corners. No apparent signature
Paul Evans was born in bucks county, pa. He studied at several institutions, including the philadelphia textile institute, rochester institute of technology, the school for american craftsmen in rochester, and the cranbrook academy of art in michigan. While living in sturbridge village, massachusetts, where he worked in a working history museum as a living craftsman demonstrating various aspects of silversmithing, he also sold designs to the raymor company and various european design firms. Settling in new hope, pa, he establishes a studio with phillip lloyd powell, near noted woodworker George Nakashima. During the 1950’s, Evans began making copper chests and followed with sculpted steel-front cabinets. Evans had a two-man show in 1961 at america house, an exhibition held at the museum of contemporary crafts in new york (now the museum of arts & design).
In 1964, Evans became a featured designer for manufacturer directional furniture. With directional furniture, he introduced several furniture lines, such as argente series, the sculpted bronze series, consisting of sculptured and painted steel, patchwork copper, pewter and brass, and the popular cityscape series.
In 2014, the first comprehensive survey of Paul Evans’ work documented Evans’ significant role in the mid-century American studio furniture movement, his approach to furniture as sculpture and abstract composition, and his approaches to metal work. It was shown at both the michener art museum and cranbrook art museum. ‘Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism’ was comprised of some sixty works, spanning the artist’s entire career with choice examples of Evans’ early metalwork and jewelry and collaborative pieces made by Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell during the 1950’s when they shared a studio.
Overall – 15 1/2" high x 36" square. Base – 15" high x 20 1/4" wide x 20 1/4" deep.
Condition: Good, wear commensurate with age and use. One scratch and several minor chips to edge of glass top. The base has one area of abrasion.
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