George Nakashima, Rare Continuous Triple Hanging Wall Cases, USA, 1957
Phillip Lloyd Powell, Carved Bar Cabinet, USA, c. 1960s
Paul Evans, Sculpted Steel Lamp, USA, 1958
Paul Evans, Welded Steel Dining Table, USA, 1965
Paul Evans, Welded Steel Hanging Light, USA, 1969
Jack Rogers Hopkins, Pair of Free Form Sculpted Chairs, USA, c. 1970s
For Immediate Release – Wednesday April 22, 2015
Todd Merrill Studio is pleased to be participating in Spring Masters New York, an international art and design fair at the Park Avenue Armory. The gallery will present Aquetong Road, a curated booth of rare studio furniture by the 20th century’s pantheon of East Coast masters who flourished along the same mile in New Hope, Pennsylvania: Paul Evans (1931-1987), Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008), and George Nakashima (1905-1990). Occupying center placement will be Nakashima’s unprecedented and previously unknown Rare Continuous Triple Hanging Cases. Part of a 1957 private family commission and available for the first time with Todd Merrill Studio, the American black walnut hanging console has no comparable and is “unique to Nakashima’s repertoire” as confirmed by Mira Nakashima in a letter about its rarity. At 15 feet in length, it is the largest case piece ever made by the artist and the only double cabinet meant to hang together. Mira Nakashima explains “each of these boards was painstakingly matched to appear as a continuous top, including the free form edge. It must have occupied a prestigious place in a large home but both halves could have also been installed independently of each other”. Other pieces from the newly discovered suite will also be present, including a beautiful Free-Form Edge Wepman Table.
Moving along Aquetong Road, the booth will showcase exquisite pieces by designer craftsman Phillip Lloyd Powell, including a rare Carved Bar Cabinet, commissioned by a Powell/Evans client, Dr. Alfred Jones, in the early 1960s. The cabinet is elegantly carved in Powell’s sought after signature style, where American black walnut wood appears as malleable as drapery. With exterior sides in brass metal leaf over red ground and interiors fitted with doors, shelves, and lights, the piece offers a striking aesthetic and practical use value. Other pieces by Powell will include an exquisite pair of Silvered-Walnut Mirrored Screens.
Unlike Nakashima and Powell who worked predominantly in wood while avoiding nonorganic materials and technologies, Evans embraced new technologies, welding and sculpting various metals. The booth will exhibit a variety of Evans iconic metal work, including: a rare original set of eight triple–leg patchwork dining chairs signed and dated 1970, made of welded steel, patinated copper, bronze, and pewter; a very rare Welded Steel Dining Table (PE23) from 1965 with beautiful braised brass decoration; a hanging chandelier; and a rare welded and polychrome rectangular steel shadow box sculpture. The patinas of these pieces exemplify the novel ways Evans worked with metal, while also reflecting the warm hues that he would have captured from the surrounding rural Pennsylvania landscape.
Aquetong Road will also showcase two pieces recently exhibited at the Cranbrook Art Museum and Michener Museum for their 2014 exhibition Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism. The first, a 1958 Sculpted Steel Lamp, is a fantastic example of Evans’ early-sculpted steel work; bearing its original shade it consists of a square base made of welded steel, white polychrome finish, amber wash, and is pierced with a spirited zigzag pattern. The second piece, a rare wall mounted console, beautifully typifies the extraordinary collaborative pieces by Powell and Evans.A rare pair of Free-Form Sculptural Lounge Chairs by West Coast maker Jack Rogers Hopkins will juxtapose the East Coast pieces of Aquetong Road. In mint condition, Hopkins’ Stack laminated mixed wood pieces represent the highest form of 1970s California design.
For over fifteen years, Todd Merrill 20th Century has exhibited and purveyed the finest selection of prewar American and European studio and custom furniture. A third generation dealer, Todd Merrill is recognized for his expertise on 20th century American masters including Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, George Nakashima, Karl Springer, Jack Rogers Hopkins, and James Mont. Shortly after Rizzoli published his seminal book on the subject, Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam, Merrill launched Studio Contemporary, representing the work of an international group of twenty established and emerging contemporary artists.
Contact: Ms. Anya Firestone, Director
+1 212-673-0531
[email protected]
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