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Ward Bennett Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

American, 1917-2003

Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.

Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.

Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.

Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.

Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.

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Creator: Ward Bennett
RARE NOS 80s Ward Bennett for Sasaki "Sengai" set of 8 Crystal Highball Glasses
RARE NOS 80s Ward Bennett for Sasaki "Sengai" set of 8 Crystal Highball Glasses

RARE NOS 80s Ward Bennett for Sasaki "Sengai" set of 8 Crystal Highball Glasses

By Ward Bennett

Located in St. Louis, MO

An exceptional, investment-grade set of eight (two sets of four) New Old Stock (NOS) vintage postmodern 24% lead crystal highball glasses, designed by the legendary American modernis...

Category

1980s Japanese Post-Modern Vintage Ward Bennett Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Crystal

Ward Bennett Flatware "Double Helix" for Sasaki 32 Pieces Silverware Mid Century
Ward Bennett Flatware "Double Helix" for Sasaki 32 Pieces Silverware Mid Century

Ward Bennett Flatware "Double Helix" for Sasaki 32 Pieces Silverware Mid Century

By Ward Bennett

Located in Atlanta, GA

Mid Century Modernist Flatware, designed by Ward Bennett for Sasaki, circa 1980s. A five piece service for six guests, with two additional serving pieces. 32 pieces total. It is con...

Category

1980s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Ward Bennett Serveware, Ceramics, Silver and Glass

Materials

Stainless Steel

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Mid 20th Century Guardian Service Aluminum Dual Purpose Cookware 14 Pieces
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Fabergé Silver Flatware Service for 24
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Previously Available Items
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This Ward Bennett for Sasaki Postmodern design amethyst black glass vase has incised intaglio architectural moderne details of circles, triangles and squares on the top. The top is f...

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Just a very nice design in this set of salt and pepper by Ward Bennett.

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Ward Bennett serveware, ceramics, silver and glass for sale on 1stDibs.

Ward Bennett serveware, ceramics, silver and glass are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of stainless steel and are designed with extraordinary care. Many of the original serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Ward Bennett were created in the mid-century modern style in korea during the 1980s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider serveware, ceramics, silver and glass by Grethe Meyer, Noritake, and Lagardo Tackett. Prices for Ward Bennett serveware, ceramics, silver and glass can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,250 and can go as high as $1,250, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,250.