Zhipeng Tan creates provocative furniture with metal alloys that merges abstraction and Pop art with forms inspired by the natural world. The contemporary Chinese designer’s chairs and stools are topped with seats that mimic the shapes of flower petals, while the graceful legs of his audacious polished brass side tables and dining tables resemble molten gold.
Tan graduated from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou with a degree in industrial design. Enamored with the organic silhouettes that populate the great outdoors, he grew increasingly interested in sculpture and drew on natural forms in his work, with molded brass as his vehicle for expression. Tan employs the ancient technique of lost-wax casting, which sees metal objects and furnishings cast from wax models. He then trims, welds and polishes the parts to craft tables and seating that are distinctive and unconventional works of art-furniture that are wholly sculptural but serve a functional purpose in one’s living room. In 2015, Tan cofounded the Shanghai-based Mán-Mán Studio with Daishi Luo, a furniture designer and sculptor who studied metal art at Huafan University in Taiwan.
Tan is known for his brass 33 Step chair, which draws heavily on the human anatomy and is named for the 33 vertebrae found in the human spine. Many of his console and coffee tables appear as though the metal table top has reverted to its molten state, with a range of droplet-shaped brass forms at each corner serving as table legs, while smaller elements are “suspended” inches above the floor along the table's underside, creating a striking visual effect.
Many have suggested that Tan’s influences include English sculptor Henry Moore, Catalan artist Joan Miró and Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami. Notable firms such as Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Ingrao Inc. and David Scott Interiors have purchased his semi-abstract creations, and Tan’s work can be found in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, the HE Art Museum and the Centre Pompidou.
Find Zhipeng Tan furniture on 1stDibs.
Zhipeng Tan, Brass 'Surf 'Large'' Bench, Tantan Collection
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Zhipeng Tan’s ‘Surf’ bench embodies and further extends the concept of his most iconic collection, TanTan collection. “This year, we have been forced to iso...
Brass
$33,000 / item
Zhipeng Tan, Brass 'Surf' Bench, TanTan Collection
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Zhipeng Tan’s ‘Surf’ bench embodies and further extends the concept of his most iconic collection, TanTan collection. “This year, we have been forced to iso...
Brass
$35,000 / item
Echo Bench Polished Brass by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This visceral and sculptural chair is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. We ship internationally. ...
Brass
$18,066
H 33.6 in W 55.5 in D 19.6 in
Antique Black Forest Bear Bench w. Five Bear Sculptures & Carved Oak Leaf Seat
Located in Lisse, NL
Large and impressive, hand carved and demountable bench with five bear sculptures. This superbly hand carved bench is entirely made of solid wood and therefor too this stunning and highly decorative antique is as strong and stable as the day it was it was made. We cannot single out one detail that is more special than others, because the standing bear sculptures...
Glass, Wood
1960s Organic Bench
Located in New York, NY
1960s organic bench. Solid walnut bench with dovetails. Can also be used as a coffee table.
Walnut
Red Acrylic Lucite Bench Cocktail Table
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful and substantial high-gloss red opaque acrylic/Lucite bench or cocktail table, in the Modern style or Postmodern period, circa late-20th to early 21st-century. Great as a ...
Acrylic, Resin, Lucite
$1,678Sale Price|20% Off
H 17.33 in W 60.63 in D 19.69 in
Outstanding Flint Rolled Marble Coffee Table or Bench
By Poul Kjærholm
Located in Munich, DE
A quite industrial shape combined with an breathtaking raw marble top. Normal wise this kind of flint rolled marble can only be found at tables by Poul Kjaerholm. The top is absolute...
Marble
Henredon Solid Walnut Bench Coffee Table
By Edward Wormley, Heritage-Henredon
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern stunning solid walnut grain long bench coffee table with rolled edges and one drawer similar to Edward Wormley for Dunbar bench.
Walnut
$11,470 / item
H 13.78 in W 70.87 in D 15.75 in
Contemporary Bench, HOT Collection, Gradient Stainless Steel 'Large'
By Buzao
Located in Paris, IDF
Bench or coffee table Electroplated stainless steel Medium size: 35 x 130 x 40 cm Large size: 35 x 180 x 40 cm Production lead time: 3 to 4 weeks Side table from “HOT” c...
Stainless Steel
Rustic Chinese Provincial Elm Wood Bench
Located in Sheffield, MA
The elegantly simple 19th century elmwood bench has the clean restraint of Classic Chinese Minimalist forms, Elegantly simple in design from China's Zhejiang province celebrates the...
Elm
Craft Associates Slatted J Bench 1602
By Craft Associates
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Designer: Craft Associates. Manufacturer: Craft Associates Furniture. Period/Model: Mid-Century Modern. Specs: Solid ziricote. Condition: T...
Walnut
$2,375Sale Price|28% Off
H 13.5 in W 60 in D 17.25 in
Mid-Century Modern Slatted Wood Bench or Table w Brass Sabots, Refinished, 1960s
By Herman Miller, Maruni, George Nelson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautifully refinished Mid-Century Modern slatted wood bench, circa 1960s. Expertly crafted with clean architectural lines, the design features rows of evenly spaced wooden slats r...
Brass
Large Hand-Made Solid Live Edge Bench
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Solid hand made live edge bench from North Carolina Artisan. Modern curved lines with natural aged and unique solid wood. Could also be used as a coffee table.
Wood
Walnut Strike / Slip Bench
By Taylor Donsker
Located in Sebastopol, CA
In the largest piece in the Strike/Slip series by Taylor Donsker, a massive block of solid Black Walnut is sawn and then rejoined into a single, shifted beam. Marbled grain and natur...
Brass
Solid Brazilian Rosewood Bench / Coffee Table
By Celina Decoracoes
Located in Oakland, CA
Celina Decoracoes mid century bench consisting of rare, solid Brazilian rosewood planks, each with varying grain.
Rosewood
Zhipeng Tan, Brass 'Surf (Large)' Bench, TanTan Collection
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Zhipeng Tan’s ‘Surf’ bench embodies and further extends the concept of his most iconic collection, TanTan collection. “This year, we have been forced to iso...
Brass