Richard Artschwager was an eclectic artist whose unique style resisted categorization. His work has been described variously as minimalism and Pop art. At the core of his approach was the transformation of the mundane into the conceptual, and sometimes even the otherworldly.
Artschwager was born in Washington, DC, in 1923 and moved with his family to New Mexico in 1935. His parents were passionate about art and design and he started painting at a young age. He later studied mathematics and science at Cornell University. His studies were interrupted by World War II, but he completed his bachelor’s degree in 1948.
Artschwager spent a period taking odd jobs to support his growing family. Still, he found time to study art, including under French painter Amédée Ozenfant at his New York City studio. He exhibited his first series of paintings and watercolors at the Art Directions Gallery in New York in 1959.
The 1960s were a prolific time for Artschwager. He experimented with his style and participated in many exhibitions. The 1962 piece Handle, a wall-hung polished wood frame, is considered a breakthrough work. He had his first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York in 1965.
In the 1970s, Artschwager moved into site-specific installations and produced paintings and drawings in a more architectural style. His success and acclaim grew over the next three decades.
He died in 2013 at the age of 89. His abstract prints and sculptures remain highly regarded. Many Neo-Geo artists in New York and Young British Artists in the United Kingdom have cited Artschwager as a major influence.
A few months after his death, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles held a career retrospective that displayed over 150 of Artschwager’s works.
On 1stDibs, find Richard Artschwager’s prints, mixed media, sculptures and more.
$3,135Sale Price|40% Off
Richard Artschwager 3 drawer walnut Pedestal Desk New York 1950s
By Richard Artschwager
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Beautiful Walnut custom narrow desk by renowned painter and sculptor, Richard Artschwager, who in 1953 designed a small collection of furniture in New York City. These pieces are sca...
Walnut
Burr Walnut Kidney Pedestal Desk
Located in London, GB
Elevate your workspace with this exquisite burr walnut kidney-shaped pedestal desk featuring a luxurious hand-tooled leather writing surface. Organize your essentials effortlessly wi...
Brass
Italian Desk, 1950s
Located in Palermo, PA
Italian desk, 1950s. Dimensions: H= 80 cm; W= 153 cm; D= 66 cm.
Brass
$1,900
H 42.25 in W 32 in D 19.75 in
Mid-century Danish walnut roll top desk, dresser or secretary, circa 1950s
Located in Long Island City, NY, NY
Mid-century modern walnut desk, secretary or dresser. Made in Denmark, 1950s Roll top, 3 big drawers on the bottom with original keys. 9 small drawers on the top. Leather topped retr...
Walnut
Walnut and burr leather top pedestal desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Walnut and burr leather top pedestal desk circa 1990. Good example of a 19th century designed desk. Which is in 3 sections, being the top and 2 pedestals. Top surface with green le...
Mahogany, Walnut
T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Desk, Walnut, USA, 1950s
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Widdicomb Furniture Co.
Located in High Point, NC
A walnut desk designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and produced by Widdicomb, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, c. 1950s. Overall Dimensions (inches): 31.0"H x 60.0"W x 27.0"D All items s...
Walnut
Milo Baughman, Rare Desk, Walnut, Brass, USA, 1950s
By Glenn of California, Milo Baughman
Located in High Point, NC
A rare walnut and brass desk designed by Milo Baughman and produced by Glenn of California, USA, 1950s.
Brass
$15,000
H 29.93 in W 47.25 in D 23.63 in
Jules Leleu- A French 1950s 3 Drawer Walnut Writing Table with Brass Details
By Jules Leleu
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jules Leleu - A fine French Mid-Century three drawer walnut desk with brass details. A similar desk is shown page 137 of the book "Jules et Andre Leleu" by Vivianne Jutheau - Edited...
Brass
Italian Modernist Walnut and Brass Writing Desk, 1950s
By Franco Albini
Located in Uithoorn, NL
This one-of-a-kind Italian desk in walnut with brass details is a rare and authentic piece of craftsmanship from the 1940s–50s. Handmade rather than produced in series, it combines ...
Brass
Antique Victorian Walnut Leather Top Pedestal Desk
Located in London, GB
A very smart and well made antique Victorian Walnut leather top pedestal desk. This was made in England, it dates from around 1860-80’s. It is of lovely quality and is a useful size...
Leather, Walnut
Richard Watson Writing Desk in Walnut
By Richard Watson
Located in Brookline, MA
The writing desk is inspired by a classic writing table originally intended for writing letters by hand. As in the traditional table, there are disc...
Wood
$2,953Sale Price|30% Off
H 27.96 in W 40.95 in D 19.3 in
Dassi Desk walnut Mid-Century Modern Brass Minimal Scultural 1950s Italian
By Dassi
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Dassi small desk rosewood Mid-Century Modern brass minimal scultural 1950s Italian. Colored glass top with gold decorations on the edge. Perfectly rest...
Brass
Gio Ponti walnut desk for BNL offices, Italy, 1950s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
A walnut writing desk designed by Gio Ponti for Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), conceived originally for executive and institutional interiors. The model reflects Ponti’s continuou...
Walnut
Sold
H 25.5 in W 18 in D 18 in
Superb Midcentury Studio Crafted Night Stand by Artist Richard Artschwager
By Richard Artschwager, George Nakashima
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Richard Artschwager (NY 1923-2013). Fine and exceedingly rare nightstand cabinet in walnut. Featuring one night stand with door and drawer in walnut. Artschwager started his career d...
Walnut
Richard Artschwager Walnut Single Pedestal Desk, New York, 1950s
By Richard Artschwager
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Walnut desk by renowned painter and sculptor, Richard Artschwager, who in 1953 designed a small collection of furniture in New York City. These pieces are scarce, as production and s...
Walnut
Sold
H 25.5 in W 18 in D 18 in
Superb Midcentury Studio Crafted Night Stands by Artist Richard Artschwager
By Richard Artschwager, George Nakashima
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Richard Artschwager (NY 1923-2013). Fine and exceedingly rare nightstand cabinets in walnut. Featuring one night stand with door and drawer and a...
Walnut
Sold
H 29.5 in W 60 in D 30 in
Richard Artshwager Walnut Double Pedestal Desk, Signed, New York, 1950s
By Richard Artschwager
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Clean Lined Mid Century desk, designed by Richard Artschwager, American, circa 1960s.nHand signed under drawer. It is finished on both sides, so it could be floated in a room. Desk m...
Walnut
Walnut Desk by Richard Artschwager
By Richard Artschwager
Located in Albany, NY
Walnut desk by renowned painter and sculptor, Richard Artschwager, who in 1953 designed a small collection of furniture in New York City. These pieces are scarce, as production and scope of design were exceedingly limited. Richard Artschwager (American, 1923–2013) was an extremely versatile painter and sculptor, associated over the course of his career with Pop, Optical, Minimalist, and Conceptual Art. Born in Washington, D.C., Artschwager grew up in New Mexico, and studied chemistry and mathematics at Cornell University. Wounded while fighting in World War II, Artschwager worked as an administrator in Frankfort, and met his wife Elfriede Wejmelka on mission to Vienna. They returned to New York together, where she encouraged him to pursue his interest in his art. In 1949, he joined the studio of French cubist painter Amédée Ozenfant, but left the next year for a bank job due to financial reasons; his production throughout the 1950s was similarly interrupted, but, while employed, he was able to create a series of furniture. In the 1960s, Artschwager turned to sculpture, drawing attention to art’s illusionistic properties by painting over found wooden objects...
Walnut
Mid-Century American Modern Walnut Desk by Richard Artschwager
By Richard Artschwager
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Walnut desk by renowned painter and sculptor, Richard Artschwager, who in 1953 designed a small collection of furniture in New York City. These pieces are scarce, as production and s...
Walnut
Richard Artschwager, Signed Rare Studio Desk, Dark Walnut, 1957
By Richard Artschwager
Located in High Point, NC
Before moving on to become one of the most influential pop artists of the 20th century Richard Artschwager made a small production of studio furniture. The present desk is an example...
Walnut