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Paul Evans

American, 1931-1987

A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.

Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.

Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.

Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (​​a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.

Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.

Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$7,443
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Paul Evans
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Patchwork Table
Patchwork Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Paul Evans Signed Stalagmite Bronze Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in San Diego, CA
A stunning brutalist Paul Evans PE-128 coffee table which was part of the "Sculptured Metal Collection" for Directional. This dramatic cocktail table ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Bronze

Paul Evans Studio Wet Bar Cabinet with Hidden Sink, c 1970, Authenticated
By Paul Evans
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unique and important custom wet bar cabinet by Paul Evans Studio was crafted in circa 1970, featuring a flip-top with hidden sink and faucet and multiple storage spaces behind h...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Metal

Large Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio Deep Relief Sideboard
By Paul Evans
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paul Evans, Paul Evans Studio, 'Deep Relief' sideboard, steel, cleft slate, laminated wood, United States, 1969 Paul Evans handcrafted "Deep Relief" Brutalist sideboard with welded ...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Steel

Handsome Paul Evans Cityscape Mirror and Console Chrome Mid-Century Modern
By Paul Evans
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Paul Evans Cityscape Series chrome console and mirror. This piece measures 46"t x 36"w x 8.5"d.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Evans

Materials

Chrome

Paul Evans 'Deep Relief' Wall-Mounted Cabinet, Model PE-19, 1971
By Paul Evans
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Paul Evans (1931-1987), 'Deep Relief' wall-mounted cabinet, model PE-19 Made by Paul Evans Studio, New Hope, Pennsylvania for Directional Furniture Company, New York. Patinated...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Slate, Bronze, Steel

Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Brutalist Chair 1969
By Paul Evans
Located in Sarasota, FL
Paul Evans (1931-1987), Sculpted Bronze Brutalist Swivel Chair 1969. This is the only chair in this style we can find having ever been sold at auction. Orange velvet upholstered cube...
Category

1960s American Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Exceptional Paul Evans for Directional Model PE24 Brutalist Welded Dining Table
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Purchased from the Long Island estate of the original owners, this stunning welded and polychromed steel Paul Evans dining table is one hundred percent original and a great example that's also pre-1970s. The psychedelic colors are vibrant, have a warm patina, and a nice satin sheen luster. The brass/bronze areas have the perfect golden hue. The original glass top shows little to no wear, definitely no chips. This table is fresh to you from a time capsule and original owners home. 1970s iterations of this table tend to have darker finishes and less intricate, and therefore interesting, welded graphics. Note that this example has a welded signature and is dated "PE69." Also observe the welded pinwheel and striated sections. Tastefully filled with the colors that made the 60s synonymous with the psychedelic era. Please know that I have a number of Paul Evans pieces, some of which are currently published and others not. My collections includes: Sculptured Bronze custom wall unit...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Brass, Bronze, Steel

Rare "Patch Work" Copper Credenza by Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare "Patch Work" credenza by Paul Evans, the six patinated acid copper doors over a typical copper/peweter patchwork structural base, walnut cabinetry work, the top inset with three...
Category

1970s American Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Copper

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Paul Evans Sellers

Creators Similar to Paul Evans

More Paul Evans Designs
Patchwork Table
Patchwork Table
Average Price
$13,146
Number Available
15
Patchwork Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Copper, Brass, Pewter, Wood, Bronze, Steel, Stone
Styles
Brutalist, Mid Century Modern
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Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Average Price
$7,818
Number Available
11
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Brass, Chrome, Wood, Glass, Stainless Steel
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Average Price
$11,838
Number Available
11
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Wood, Chrome, Glass
Styles
Mid Century Modern
The Cityscape dining table created by artist, sculptor and furniture designer Paul Evans (1931–87) is one of the most recognizable examples of brutalist design. Evans, whose favored material was metal, is best known for his 1970s contributions to the American Studio Craft movement as well as his breakthroughs in brutalism. In the early 1950s, Evans studied at Philadelphia’s Textile Institute and then at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Michigan’s Cranbrook Academy of Art, which has ...
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Stalagmite Coffee Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Average Price
$19,703
Number Available
6
Stalagmite Coffee Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Bronze, Metal, Glass, Organic Material, Resin
Styles
Mid Century Modern
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Paul Evans furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Paul Evans furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Paul Evans furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Paul Evans 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 Widdicomb Furniture Co., Florence Knoll, and Harvey Probber. Prices for Paul Evans furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at £613 and can go as high as £141,101, while a piece like these, on average, fetch £9,675.

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