Widely acclaimed for the range of case pieces he designed for Michigan manufacturer Mastercraft during the 1970s, metal artist and furniture designer Bernhard Rohne has been creating distinctive acid-etched brutalist furnishings, home accessories, sculptures and other works for decades. The German-born Vancouver-based designer’s cabinets, coffee tables, credenzas and more are statement pieces in any interior and can introduce contrast and vigor into living rooms and dining rooms.
Born in Peine, Rohne attended the WKS Hanover art school. It was in his material science class that Rohne immersed a small painted copper plate into a container of acid. After some time, he couldn’t detect whether or not any kind of chemical reaction had taken place, so he left the plate in the acid and went to lunch.
When Rohne returned, yellow clouds had filled the room and the school had to be evacuated. However, when he was able to retrieve the copper plate, Rohne saw that there had indeed been a reaction between the metal and the chemical. The incident, while most definitely dangerous, sparked his interest and set him on a path of material exploration and design that collectors and art enthusiasts continue to celebrate to this day.
Rohne moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1967. During the 1970s, Grand Rapids-based furniture manufacturer Mastercraft — known to collectors of mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency design — partnered with Rohne and produced a large group of case pieces featuring applied brass plaques and panels, acid-etched with forms and patterns that are marked by the influence of Abstract Expressionism and Geometric Abstraction.
For his best known pieces, Rohne worked with brass, aluminum, copper and zinc metal sheets, which he oxidized and etched in order to create fascinating surface panels for his walnut console cabinets and sideboards that, with their patinated bronze and black lacquer doors, are sculptural attention-grabbing works in today’s interiors.
Rohne’s work, like many pieces of brutalist furniture and sculptures designed by him or like-minded metalworker Paul Evans, remains popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find vintage Bernhard Rohne tables, storage pieces and wall decor on 1stDibs.
Bernhard Rohne's 1971 Brutalist Masterpiece for the Baker Showroom
By Bernhard Rohne
Located in Dallas, TX
This work was commissioned in 1977 by the Baker Furniture Company and featured in the entryway of one of their flagship showrooms when they first introduced their Mastercraft line em...
Brass
$5,250
H 36.03 in W 23.82 in D 1.54 in
Original-Constant Gardener-British Awarded Artist-Large Oil-gold leaf landscape
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Constant Gardener belongs to two of Shizico Yi’s long-term projects: Constant Gardener and Memory Landscape Series, both initiated in 2015. Across these bodies of work, Yi explores t...
Gold Leaf
$15,750
H 40 in W 60 in D 0.5 in
"After the Rains" by Holt - Large Blue, Green, Earth Tone Contemporary Abstract
By Katheryn Holt
Located in Carmel, CA
Katheryn Holt (American, born 1951) "After the Rains" 2022 Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Wood, Wire The artist signed the back of the painting. Original: 40" x 60" x 1/2" Fram...
Wire
Pushing Wake
By Ben Watkins
Located in Lincoln, RI
This piece is made by casting Hydrocal FGR95 (a very hard plaster) on top of an oil clay pattern. Once cured, the oil clay is removed, then paint and brass leaf are applied to the su...
Brass
$21,000
H 46 in W 37.75 in D 2 in
Silvan Abstract Painting, Enamel and Polymer on Wood Panel, 2010+
By Donald Martiny
Located in Westport, CT
This framed gestural work is by Donald Martiny. This signature piece is composed of enamel and polymer paint, cardboard, aluminum and wood on wood panel. He creates immediately froze...
Enamel
$5,500
H 36 in W 30 in
Sennedem, Abstract Italian Modernist Oil Painting in Brass Frame
By Ezio Gribaudo
Located in Surfside, FL
36X30 framed, 31X26.5 unframed. Ezio Gribaudo was born in Turin on January 10, 1929. He trained at the Accademia di Brera, Milan (1949–52), and attended the Faculty of Architecture ...
Brass
$1,200
H 10.63 in Dm 10.63 in
Wave Pearl Gold Mixed Media Wall Sculpture, Abstract, Framed, 2010+
By KX2: Ruth Avra and Dana Kleinman
Located in PARIS, FR
Pearlescent wave series, in aluminum with mixed media and pearlescent enamel on wood. Wall sculpture is sold with it's certificate of authenticity. Can be purchased individually or a...
Metal
Fenced
By Ben Watkins
Located in Lincoln, RI
This piece is made by casting Hydrocal FGR95 (a very hard plaster) on top of an oil clay pattern. Once cured, the oil clay is removed, then paint and brass leaf are applied to the s...
Brass
Untitled (Triptych 6) : contemporary abstract work of art
By Gerald Wolfe
Located in New York, NY
Abstract geometric artwork by a contemporary artist Gerald Wolfe. Gerald Wolfe’s wall pieces have a three-dimensional, architectural feel. The artist’s approach to his paintings is intuitive. He meticulously creates his works step by step, imbuing shapes and lines with energy. The interplay of forms, color, and texture creates tension between flatness and depth. His work can become a unique gift and will be a wonderful addition to any space, be it a living room of a modern home or a lobby of a commercial building. Gerald Wolfe received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Maryland in 1972, discovered his interest in art and went on to study fine arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In the summer of 1974, he also studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. From his first show in 1979, a summer invitational at OK Harris Gallery, Gerald has shown his work on a consistent basis in New York, including such galleries as Denise Bibro Fine Art, NYC, and Kim Foster Gallery, NYC . In addition, he has had solo exhibits at the Paterson Museum in Paterson, New Jersey...
Enamel
$1,200
H 10.63 in Dm 10.63 in
Pearlescent Wave - Pink Mixed Media Wall Sculpture, Abstract, 2010+
By KX2: Ruth Avra and Dana Kleinman
Located in PARIS, FR
Pearlescent wave series, in aluminum with mixed media and pearlescent enamel on wood. Wall sculpture is sold with it's certificate of authenticity. Can be purchased individually or a...
Metal
$3,247
H 22.45 in W 16.93 in D 1.97 in
Porcelain sheet piece with gold on pine wood, white and gold
Located in Carballo, ES
Veronica Moar's work is deeply imbued with the processes of porcelain manufacturing and craftsmanship, rendered in a delicate and narratively rich manner. In this piece, we can see n...
Gold
$1,623
H 31.11 in W 31.11 in
"Teschio Tropicale" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Tropical skull". Acrylic on canvas. It features a lacquered wooden frame with brass studs.
Brass
$6,000
H 24 in Dm 24 in
Onde Cyan Wall Sculpture, Abstract Mixed Media on Wood, 24" Framed
By KX2: Ruth Avra and Dana Kleinman
Located in PARIS, FR
Pearlescent wave series, in aluminum with mixed media and pearlescent enamel on wood. Wall sculpture is sold with it's certificate of authenticity.
Metal
Sold
H 24 in W 24 in D 2 in
Acid Etched Oxidized Brass Wall Art by Bernard Rohne for Metallic Design Studio
By Bernhard Rohne
Located in Hudson, NY
Etched brass artwork plaque by Bernhard Rohne for Metallic Design Studio, circa 1960s. Rohne has become famous for his work with Mastercraft, but also pr...
Brass, Copper
Acid Etched Bronze Abstract
By Bernhard Rohne
Located in Soquel, CA
Amazing and intricate acid etched bronze artwork. Can be hung Horizontal or vertical. Also this piece could also be re-fabricated as a table, as other wo...
Bronze