Philip & Kelvin Laverne "Michelangelo" Bronze Coffee Table, 1970
View Similar Items
Philip & Kelvin Laverne "Michelangelo" Bronze Coffee Table, 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Philip and Kelvin LaVerne (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 65 in (165.1 cm)Depth: 25 in (63.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Bronze
- Place of Origin:United States
- Period:1970-1979
- Date of Manufacture:1970's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Vintage condition with age appropriate wear.
- Seller Location:Hamburg, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: 69161stDibs: LU9269892015
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Look closely at any vintage furniture designed by father-son duo Philip and Kelvin LaVerne and a cacophony of stylistic influences reveals itself.
The LaVernes’ position at the intersection of art and design was the result of their combined backgrounds: Philip (1907–87) studied painting with Ashcan School artist John Sloan at the Art Students League of New York, while his son, Kelvin (b. 1937), attended the Parsons School of Design, taking classes in art history, furniture design and metalwork. The resulting merge of stylistic elements and innovative processes make for singular designs that defy categorization, striking a balance between modern and traditional, intricate and minimal, art piece and functional item. Their work was also strikingly different from the modern furniture created by Philip’s brother Erwine and his wife, Estelle, of Laverne Originals.
The LaVernes began producing one-of-a-kind furniture and sculpture in the mid-1950s out of a studio on Wooster Street in New York City before opening a showroom on Manhattan’s East 57th Street. As their 1960s advertisements declared: “It’s not just functional and not just art, it’s an investment.”
The LaVernes married a stunning array of techniques and styles to achieve their singular, deeply layered look for one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces. Chinoiserie motifs abound on many of their acid-etched tables, but art from ancient Greece and Egypt also served as inspiration. The influence of figurative sculptors is evident in designs like coffee tables and side tables with bronze bodies serving as frames or bases; other pieces, meanwhile, have deeply detailed surfaces and strikingly simple silhouettes.
The duo developed their own unconventional methods — sometimes to an extreme — for finishing their pieces: Techniques employed by the LaVernes included acid washing and burying furniture underground in a mixture of soil and chemicals to achieve a desired patina through oxidation. While they sometimes used pewter and silver, bronze was one of their most commonly employed materials, either etched or cast and sometimes paired with glass tops. Their partnership ended when Philip died in 1987 and Kelvin shifted his practice to sculpture.
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Steel Chain Coffee Table in the Manner of Franz West, 20th CenturyBy Franz WestLocated in Hamburg, PAA handsome Mid-Century Modern welded steel coffee table powder coated in matte black finish and ready to place. The top is made of original smoked plexiglass or acrylic. Some scratch...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Large Lucite and Glass Coffee Table by Les Prismatiques, 1970sBy Les PrismatiquesLocated in Hamburg, PAA large beautiful solid lucite table with radius corners and inset glass top by Les Prismatiques, USA, 1970s. This table would work well in a New York apartment or surrounded by deco...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsGlass, Lucite
- Stainless Steel Coffee Table by Steelcase Designed by Gardner Leaver, 1970sBy Gardner Leaver, SteelcaseLocated in Hamburg, PAA Mid-Century Modern stainless steel coffee table with a smoked glass top. This table would look great in any Contemporary or Moder...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Silas Seandel Ribbon Coffee Table, 1977By Silas SeandelLocated in Hamburg, PAA signed Silas Seandel ribbon coffee table from New York City-based metal sculptor. Made of glass and steel with brass or bronze fini...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Silas Seandel "Volcano" Coffee Table, 1977By Silas SeandelLocated in Hamburg, PAA sculptural Mid-Century Modern "Volcano" coffee or cocktail table in gold patinated bronze surface. This piece has a very high-end gallerie look. Custom-made by Silas Seandel signed...Category
Vintage 1970s American Brutalist Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze, Steel
- Organic Material and Brass Coffee Table by Enrique Garcel, 1980sBy Enrique GarcelLocated in Hamburg, PAA luxurious decorated coffee or cocktail table with inlaid brass accents and stylized cabriole leg. This unique table has a natural organic feel which appears to be perhaps a cross ...Category
Vintage 1980s Colombian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Philip & Kelvin LaVerne "Michelangelo" Bronze Coffee TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in Dallas, TXA large incised and acid etched patinated bronze coffee table depicting the creation of man by Michelangelo . Supported by two fluted column bases. Signed Philip and Kelvin LaVerne.Category
Vintage 1960s Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Midcentury Philip and Kelvin Laverne Coffee TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in Bridgeport, CTClassic midcentury cocktail table in acid etched patinated bronze, this one in an understated and undecorated mottled finish which is timeworn with signs of age. A square table with ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Philip and Kelvin Laverne "Chan" Coffee TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in Brooklyn, NYPhilip Laverne vintage modern etched bronze top coffee table on bronze faux bamboo legs. This table is tamped and tagged by the designer, fitting for...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze
$12,000 Sale Price33% Off - Philip & Kelvin Laverne Romanesque TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPhilip and Kelvin Laverne Romanesque Table Acid etched Bronze and Pewter Expressive leg structure signed "Philip & Kelvin Laverne".Category
Vintage 1960s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze
- Bronze Coffee Table by Philip and Kelvin LaVerneBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in Dorchester, MAFather and son Philip and Kelvin LaVerne achieved their detailed table designs by acid-etching bronze, adding pewter and enamel, then burying their work in a propriety formula of ear...Category
Vintage 1960s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsPewter, Bronze
- Philip and Kelvin Laverne Coffee TableBy Philip and Kelvin LaVerneLocated in New York, NYAn Oval form etched bronze Coffee table designed by Philip and Kelvin Laverne. This unique coffee table is of two tone depicting chinoiserie figures.Category
Vintage 1970s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsBronze