Jim Rose Seating
Bringing lively newness to weathered and worn found materials, artist and furniture designer Jim Rose mined scrap heaps and junkyards for the metal he used in his furniture, collages and decorative objects. He kept his eyes open for the ideal scraps of aged steel that could be bent and shaped into a base, frame or surface of his next piece, hand-picking off-colored bits to serve as inlays and accents.
Rose was long associated with the American Studio Craft movement, and many of his one-of-a-kind works can typically be characterized as a venturesome fusion of folk art and modernist design. Each piece, crafted by hand and with fastidious care in his Wisconsin studio, is representative of his work ethic and boundless imagination.
Born in Indiana, Rose studied briefly at Bard College in New York City and earned his BFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1988. A couple of years earlier, he established his design studio, along with his wife Suzanne — an award-winning photographer — as his partner. During the 1990s, Rose and Suzanne traveled the American Northeast, where he became enamored with Shaker furniture.
When Rose returned home, he read every piece of literature he could about the history of the Shakers. The name derives from the popular moniker for an all-but-vanished American religious sect, whose members crafted honest, modest household furniture and objects as part of their belief in purposeful living and simplicity in all things. Rose incorporated Shaker methods into the production of his own designs. Rather than utilize the unpretentious hardwoods that the Shakers preferred, however, Rose worked with discarded materials, fashioning tables, case pieces and decorative objects from repurposed steel and other metals.
In the late 1990s, Rose began to include multi-colored metal into his works — adapting methods used by colonial quiltmakers. His furnishings began to take on a mosaic look, bringing a substantial amount of visual appeal and new charm to each of his distinctive creations. Rose also produced a body of work that drew on Ming dynasty designs.
With numerous showings at Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair in New York City and Chicago, Rose made a name for himself throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He had solo and group exhibitions throughout his career, including in Palm Beach, Florida, and Mesa, Arizona — as well as at many other galleries in New York and Chicago. Rose’s work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Mesa Contemporary Arts, Racine Art Museum and other institutions.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Jim Rose storage cabinets, tables, and decorative objects.
Early 2000s American Shaker Jim Rose Seating
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Scandinavian Modern Jim Rose Seating
Walnut, Wood
1930s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jim Rose Seating
Wool, Mahogany
20th Century American Louis XVI Jim Rose Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Jim Rose Seating
Paint, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Scandinavian Modern Jim Rose Seating
Wood, Ash
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Jim Rose Seating
Wood
Mid-20th Century Hollywood Regency Jim Rose Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Rustic Jim Rose Seating
Pine, Paint
20th Century Country Jim Rose Seating
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
20th Century Italian Neoclassical Jim Rose Seating
Cane, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Hepplewhite Jim Rose Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century French Directoire Jim Rose Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Ash
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Jim Rose Seating
Steel