James Bearden Segment Etagere

About the Item

"Segment Étagère” a sculptural work in torch-cut and polychromed steel with fused bronze, solvent dyes, and glass enamel, with four glass shelves. By American artist James Bearden. The rectangular étagère, with its dramatic yet delicate composition and juxtaposition of shapes and colors drawn from Bearden’s evolving vocabulary, is perched atop four slender legs. Bearden's work was featured in a 2020 solo exhibition at the NY Design Center titled "James Bearden: Technical and Aesthetic Revelations," in an article in the January 2017 Interior Design Magazine; in an introspective feature on 1stdibs; and in a feature article in DSM Magazine. The étagère is part of a group of case pieces being offered individually--see the photo of three cabinets below. Custom sizes and colors are available upon request. In an introduction to the 2020 exhibition, curator Kartrina Weinberg wrote: "In the two years after the artist’s last solo exhibition — where the material reality of steel was evident in both its title and monochromatic appearance — Mr. Bearden sought to break free from pre-conceived judgment of his medium, as well as the persistent misnomers applied to his art. While subtle color play has always existed in his previous works, the development in his coloring technique — from painted polychrome to dyed glass enamel — allowed for dramatic saturation and stunning complexity in his new palette, bringing heightened immediacy to his biomorphic and anthropomorphic imagery. The artist had always challenged the gravitational reality of steel, but he has found new expressions towards verticality and delicacy, transcending material and elevating function. The open compositions, ranging from ornamental tracery to dynamic use of negative space, allow for the interplay of light and air, animating the environment with ever-changing viewing possibilities. This exhibition took inspiration from the naturalist traditions and fantastical imagery of Early Netherlandish paintings, as well as the Gesamtkunstwek philosophy of fin de siècle interiors. All pieces are presented in cohesive groups of varying numbers — a nod to modernist modular designs, showing their endless potential for variation, evolution, subtraction or addition; at once prêt à porter and haute couture."

Creator:

James Bearden (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 75 in (190.5 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)Depth: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Bronze,Enamel,Glass,Steel

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

2010-