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.
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Pair of Monumental Sconces
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
In a breathtaking display of avant-garde design, this unique pair of Paul Evans Studio Monumental Sconces, boast an unexpected scale, each measuring an impressive 48 inches wide—a de...
Steel
$2,989 / set
H 31.5 in W 14.57 in D 7.49 in
Monumental Pair of Vintage Murano Wall Sconce, 41 Transparent Triedri -Arianna
By Venini
Located in Gaiarine Frazione Francenigo (TV), IT
Huge and fantastica pair of vintage Murano wall sconce made by 41 Murano crystal prism (triedri) for each applique in a chrome metal frame. The shape of this sconce is spiral. The gl...
Blown Glass
Pair of Brutalist Sconces in the Manner of Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in San Francisco, CA
Pair of interesting brutalist sconces in the manner of Paul Evans, 20th Century. Created from metal and resin, the sconces are perfect in many interiors, including arts & crafts, mi...
Metal
Monumental Pair of Faceted Lucite Sconces
Located in New York, NY
Spectacular giant pair of faceted Lucite sconces. The sconces are beautifully executed and have been newly rewired with polished nickel sockets. Each sconce has six candelabra light ...
Lucite
$4,219 / set
H 31.5 in W 14.57 in D 7.49 in
Monumental pair of vintage Murano wall sconce - 41 pink triedri
By Mazzega
Located in Gaiarine Frazione Francenigo (TV), IT
Huge and fantastic pair of vintage Murano wall sconce made by 41 Murano crystal prism (triedri) for each sconce in a chrome metal frame. The shape of this sconce is spiral. The glass...
Art Glass
$920 / set
H 21 in W 16 in D 11 in
Monumental Pair of Wooden Carved Gilt Tole Toleware Sconces, Italy 1950s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Add a touch of refined opulence to your interior with this charming pair of Italian sconces. Hand-carved from wood and finished in an elegant gilt, these fixtures bring a warm, artis...
Metal
$225,000 / set
H 108 in W 59 in D 29 in
Pair of Sabino French Art Deco Monumental Flared Glass Sconces
By Sabino Art Glass
Located in Queens, NY
PAIR of French Art Deco (1930s) monumental wall sconces with a geometric flared tiered glass panel upper section over a bottom finial beneath a...
Chrome
$8,500 / set
H 43 in W 8.25 in D 3.5 in
Monumental Pair of French Modernist Long Tubular Sconces by Petitot
By Atelier Petitot
Located in New York City, NY
Very long and impressive French Art Deco tubular sconces featuring solid glass rods that form a semi cylinder shaped column, mounted in heavily cast polished nickel bronze frames. ...
Bronze, Nickel
$1,220 / set
H 21.5 in W 14.5 in D 6.25 in
Pair of Monumental Empire Style Candle Wall Sconces Candlestick, Italy, 1970s
By Palladio
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Pair of giltwood candlestick wall sconces 1970s in empire style. Each fixture requires two candles. The wall lights have a beautiful patina and gives each room an eclectic statement.
Metal
$20,000 / set
H 79.5 in W 19 in D 8 in
Stilnovo Rare Pair of Monumental Eight-Light Wall Sconces, 1950s
By Stilnovo
Located in New York, NY
Stilnovo rare and stunning monumental pair of eight-arm wall lights with articulating conical shades in black lacquered aluminum suspended on brass arms and mounted long stem, Italy,...
Brass, Aluminum
Pair of Brutalist Wall Sconces in the Style of Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of cast Aluminum wall lights, can be wired for electric or used with candles. Unique set.
Aluminum
$3,616 / set
H 31.5 in W 14.57 in D 7.49 in
Monumental pair of vintage Murano wall sconce – 41 trasparent quadriedri
By Venini
Located in Gaiarine Frazione Francenigo (TV), IT
Huge and fantastic pair of vintage Murano wall sconce made by 41 Murano crystal prism (quadriedri) for each applique in a chrome metal frame. The shape of this sconce is spiral. The ...
Art Glass
Vintage Boho Monumental Wall Sconces - A Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This pair of monumental wall sconces makes a grand architectural statement, reflecting a sophisticated blend of Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean influences. Each piece features a s...
Fiberglass, Wood