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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
$7,310
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Paul Evans
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Patchwork Table
Patchwork Table
Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Brutalist Sideboard, USA, 1969
By Paul Evans
Located in Miami, FL
Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Brutalist Sideboard, USA, 1969 An exceptional example from Paul Evans’ iconic sculpted bronze series, this brutalist sideboard was created in 1969 by the a...
Category

1960s American Brutalist Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Slate, Metal

Paul Evans Large and Impressive Patchwork Coffee Table Ca. 1969
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
Superbly crafted Patchwork Coffee Table in welded and patinated pewter, copper, steel, and bronze with inset lacquered wood top top by Paul Evans, American, circa 1969. This table wa...
Category

1960s American Brutalist Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Bronze, Copper, Steel, Pewter

Paul Evans Iconic Sculptured Bronze Dining Table 1970 (Signed and Dated)
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
Sculptured metal dining table model No. PE 102 in bronze composite with thick glass top by Paul Evans for Directional Furniture, American 1970 (signed and dated “PE 70” near bottom o...
Category

1970s American Brutalist Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Bronze

Paul Evans for Directional 'PE 68' Wall Unit in Bronzed Resin and Glass
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Paul Evans for Directional, wall shelves, model 'PE 68', epoxy bronzed resin over wood, glass, United States, 1970s Grand wall unit by Paul Evans, designed for Directional in the 19...
Category

1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Glass, Resin, Wood

Paul Evans Patchwork Cabinet Sideboard in Copper with Wall Hanging Mirror 1960s
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Troy, MI
Matched credenza and mirror by Paul Evans Studio for Directional circa 1968 Model PE-38 two-door sideboard cabinet on recessed base Copper brass and pewter patchwork exterior with ...
Category

1960s American Brutalist Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Slate, Brass, Copper, Pewter, Steel

Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Stalagmite Dining Table for Directional 1971 Signed
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Stalagmite Dining Table for Directional 1971 Signed Sculptured "Stalagmite" metal dining table model No. PE 102 in bronze composite and resin over steel b...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Bronze, Metal

Paul Evans Wall-Hanging Console, Sculpted Bronze, Slate, Signed
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in New York, NY
Paul Evans Wall-Hanging Console, Sculpted Bronze, Slate, Signed. In original condition and purchased from the original owner. Large scale chunky wall mounted shelf, finished dark in ...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Slate, Bronze

Paul Evans Signed & Dated Rectangular Sculpted Bronze and Glass Cocktail Table
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful and iconic Brutalist sculpted bronze "Stalagmite" was realized by the fabled designed Paul Evans in in 1970. It features a welded sculptural and heavily textured bronz...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Paul Evans

Materials

Bronze

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Paul Evans Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2025$1,800Night StandsEbony, Rosewood1970
2025$18,000Dining Room TablesEnamel, Steel, Glass, Paint1970
2025$6,250Mounted Objects, Abstract SculpturesSteel1970s
2025$238BookendsMetal1960s
2025$1,570Umbrella StandsBrass, Chromecirca 1975
2025$250CandelabrasBrass, Walnut1955
2025$3,400Shelves, Wall MirrorsBrass, Glass, Mirror, Chrome1970s
2025$38,500Wall-mounted SculpturesSteel1972
2025$2,500Floor LampsChrome1970s
2025$3,700Coffee and Cocktail TablesMetal, Copper, Wood1975
2025$2,360DressersMetal, WoodC. 1970
2025$1,200PedestalsBrass, Coppercirca 1970s
2025$625Wall Mirrors, Mantel Mirrors and Fireplace MirrorsOak1970s
2025$35,200CabinetsResin, Slate1969
2025$3,800DressersOak1970s
2025$1,200Coffee and Cocktail TablesBrass, Glass, Chrome1970's
2025$180CandlesticksIron1970s
2025$1,900Side TablesWoodunknown
2025$1,750Decorative BoxesMetal1960s
2025$525Wall Lights and SconcesMetal1960s
$7,310
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$180-$43,650
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Paul Evans

More Paul Evans Designs
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
Average Price
$10,588
Number Available
12
Paul Evans Cityscape Dining Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Chrome, Metal, Wood, 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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Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
Average Price
$8,413
Number Available
11
Paul Evans Cityscapes Coffee Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Chrome, Wood, Burl
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Stalagmite Coffee Table
Average Price
$16,586
Number Available
8
Stalagmite Coffee Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Glass, Bronze
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Shop All
Patchwork Table
Patchwork Table
Average Price
$8,629
Number Available
7
Patchwork Table
By Paul Evans
Materials
Metal, Copper, Wood, Slate, Stone, Brass, Pewter, Steel
Styles
Brutalist, Mid Century Modern
Shop All

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., Mastercraft, and Harvey Probber. Prices for Paul Evans furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $713 and can go as high as $220,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $11,832.

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