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.
Paul Evans Rare and Early Candlesticks, Set of Three, 1953
By Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Paul Evans Rare and Early Candlesticks, Set of Three, 1953 Sandblasted pewter Each: 20½ h × 3¼ dia in (52 × 8 cm) Provenance: The Artist Collection of Dorsey Reading Exhibited: Paul...
Pewter
Pair of Walnut and Pewter Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Toledo, OH
Pair of Walnut and Pewter Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell. circa 1950s. A design from Designer's Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell...
Pewter
Pair of Extremely Rare Early 18th Century Regence Period Candlesticks
Located in Middleburg, VA
Made of gilded brass with intricate incised decoration on delicate molded stems with flanged bases. Comes as a pair. Dated 1717 Ile de France. There is a date of 1717 scratched into ...
Brass
Set of Three Sculptural Teak Mid Century Modern Candlestick Holders
Located in San Jose, CA
Vintage set of three teak cylinder candleholders, circa 1960's. This set comes in three different sizes and complements any Danish modern or contemporary space. Fits 3/4" taper candl...
Teak
$4,500 / set
H 12.75 in W 3.75 in D 3.5 in
Pair of Ettore Sottsass Silver Candlesticks for Swid Powell and Reed and Barton
By Reed & Barton, Swid Powell, Ettore Sottsass
Located in Kansas City, MO
Striking pair of silver plated candlesticks designed by Ettore Sottsass and made by Swid Powell in collaboration with Reed and Barton, 1980s.
Silver
A Rare Set of Four Louis XIV Brass Candlesticks c. 1690
Located in Greenwich, CT
Rare set of four brass French Louis XIV candlesticks with glowing patina having fluted vasiform shape with turned and hexagonal portions of shafts peaned to wide ripple molded bases....
Brass
Pair of Modernist Signed Swid Powell Geometric Candlestick Holders
Located in New York, NY
This Modernist pair of silver-plated candlestick holders by Swid Powell, designed by the renowned architect Robert A. M. Stern circa 1980, exemplifies the sleek and architectural des...
Silver Plate
$706 / set
H 9.06 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in
European Contemporary yellow Sculptural Candlestick Set of Three
By Margit Wittig
Located in London, GB
UK customers please note: displayed prices do not include VAT. Margit Wittig has used her sculptural skills to create beautifully-crafted, well-proportioned contemporary candlestick...
Epoxy Resin
$4,475 / set
H 20 in Dm 6.5 in
Documented Karl Springer Set of Three Midcentury Brass and Chrome Candlesticks
By Karl Springer
Located in New York, NY
This stunning and dramatic set of candlesticks were realized by Karl Springer- one of the most influential and important designers of the 20th century- in America, circa 1985. It features a concave base and a convex top connected by a cylindrical body all in lustrous brass with a chrome banding at the base and pinnacle of the bodies. Two of the candles are the same length, while the third (meant to be positioned in the center) is taller. The candle affixes to the center of the top of each candle stick via a pointed conical pin in chrome. With its austere form and bold modernist lines- inspired by the verve and élan of first rate Art Deco design- these candlesticks are as versatile as they are gorgeous. They would be a winning addition to any style of interior from Classic Mid-Century Modern to contemporary. Excellent condition. The candlesticks are documented on page 17 of the Springer catalogue...
Chrome, Brass
$8,282 / set
H 10.04 in W 9.06 in D 4.53 in
Elizabeth II Sterling Silver Pair of Candlesticks by S. J. Phillips, 2004
By S.J. Phillips
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 2004 by S. J. Phillips, this exceptional pair of Elizabeth II sterling silver candlesticks are crafted in the classic George III style. Each candlestick featu...
Sterling Silver
$772 / set
H 6.3 in Dm 3.15 in
Pair of Swedish Pewter Candlesticks by GAB Guldsmedsaktiebolaget, 1940s
Located in Stockholm, SE
Elegant pair of Swedish pewter candlesticks produced by GAB (Guldsmedsaktiebolaget) in the 1940s. The design features a refined, tapered stem rising from a circular base, culminating...
Pewter
In the Style of Paul Evans Wall Torch
By Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Brutalist wall sculptural Torchere, can be wired for electric or used as candle torch. Cast aluminum with brass anodized prong light holder grooved and d...
Aluminum
Pair of Swid Powell Silver Plate Postmodern Candlesticks
By Swid Powell
Located in Dallas, TX
Elegant pair of postmodern silver-plated candlesticks by Swid Powell, circa 1980s. Featuring a refined architectural form with cylindrical stems, wide drip pans, and weighted circula...
Silver Plate
$200Sale Price / set|25% Off
H 2.76 in W 4.73 in D 4.14 in
Set of Three Chrome-Plated Metal Candlesticks by BMF
By Bmf Nagel, Fritz Nagel
Located in Paris, FR
Three chrome-plated metal candlesticks produced by BMF (Bayerische Metallwarenfabrik) in Germany in the 1970s. As Nagel candleholders, BMF candlesticks can be used individually or as...
Metal
Pair of Early Candlestick by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
A design from Designers Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the 1950s where they had their studios and joined showroom in New Hope, PA. The pai...
Pewter
Pair of Early Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Atlanta, GA
A design from Designers Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the 1950s where they had their studios and joined showroom in New Hope, PA. The pai...
Pewter
Sold
H 9.75 in W 3 in D 3 in
Handsome Signed Paul Evans Brutalist Candlestick Holder Mid-Century Modern
By Paul Evans
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Handsome signed Paul Evans Brutalist candlestick. Takes a large base candle-perfect gift for the person who has everything! Please ch...
Brass