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Ward Bennett

American, 1917-2003

Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.

Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.

Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.

Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.

Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.

Average Sold Price
$4,427
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
11 Swivel Tilt Desk Dining Swivel Tilt Chairs by Ward Bennet for Brickel
By Brickel Associates, Ward Bennett
Located in New York, NY
Incredible desk, office, or even dining chairs, designed by Ward Bennett, for Brickel Associates, circa 1960's. The chairs features supple leather seats, and backs , with a curvaceou...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ward Bennett

Materials

Chrome

One Vintage Midcentury Ward Bennett Brickel Executive Chair
By Ward Bennett
Located in Pasadena, TX
Best known for his interiors, Mr. Bennett`s projects include residence in New York, London, Venice and Rome, as well as his own quarter, a Manhattan apartment atop the Dakota, a coun...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ward Bennett

Materials

Chrome

Ward Bennett for Brickell Newly Caned "Sled" Lounge Chair, Circa 1970
By Ward Bennett, Brickel Associates
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Original Chromed Steel & Cane Lounge Chair by Ward Bennett for Brickell. Featuring the vintage low chromed x frame, with newly natural and unstained cane seat, curved back, covered a...
Category

1960s American Modern Vintage Ward Bennett

Materials

Chrome

Ward Bennett for Brickel and Associates Desk Conference Chair
By Ward Bennett
Located in Pasadena, TX
Bumper desk chair by Ward Bennett for Brickel and Associates Ward Bennett for Brickel and Associates Task Chair Bronze 4-star swivel conference room chair in a green tweed fabric....
Category

Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Ward Bennett

Materials

Fabric

Beautiful Chunky Designer Sasaki Crystal Bowl by Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Hopewell, NJ
American designer Ward Bennett for “Sasaki” crystal bowl Pattern is “Sengai” Ring of geometric triangles, squares and circles just below thick top rim Signed on bottom
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ward Bennett

Materials

Crystal

Set of Four Ward Bennet Ash Frame Chairs Black Leather Upholstery
By Brickel Associates, Ward Bennett
Located in Ferndale, MI
Set of four ash frame chairs upholstered in black leather. Designed by Ward Bennet for Brickel Associates. Condition is superb.
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ward Bennett

Materials

Leather, Ash

Scissor Chair by Ward Bennett in Original Brown Leather
By Ward Bennett, Geiger International
Located in Chicago, IL
Chrome frame scissor chair by designer Ward Bennett, in brown leather, piece is marked.
Category

Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ward Bennett

Materials

Chrome

Ward Bennett for Brickel Sofa
By Ward Bennett, Brickfield Furniture Company
Located in Countryside, IL
Ward Bennett for Brickel Sofa This sofa measures: 69 wide x 31 deep x 30 inches high, with a seat height of 15 and arm height of 22 inches About Photos: We take our photos in a con...
Category

Early 2000s American Post-Modern Ward Bennett

Materials

Upholstery, Wood

Ward Bennett for Brickel Sofa
Ward Bennett for Brickel Sofa
H 30 in W 69 in D 31 in
Browse all Furniture from Ward Bennett
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Creators Similar to Ward Bennett

Ward Bennett furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Ward Bennett furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Ward Bennett furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Ward Bennett were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Selig, Brown Jordan, and Kipp Stewart. Prices for Ward Bennett furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $215 and can go as high as $78,600, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $4,775.

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