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.
Arthur Espenet Wooden Box 1961
By Arthur Espenet Carpenter
Located in Chicago, IL
Arthur Espenet Carpenter Exotic Walnut Box, 1961 A finely crafted wooden box by celebrated California studio furniture maker Arthur Espenet Carpenter, dated 1961. Made from richly fi...
Brass
Paul Frankl Cityscape Storage Cube Table (Frankl Galleries, 1930)
By Paul Frankl
Located in Chicago, IL
Paul Frankl Cityscape Storage Cube Table (Frankl Galleries, 1930) Discover a unique piece of American design history with this Skyscraper occasional table, expertly crafted by Paul ...
Glass, Wood
Paul Evans Cityscape Keep Safe Box
By Paul Evans, Directional
Located in Chicago, IL
Paul Evans Cityscape Keep Safe Box, not many of these were produced, interior plastic laminite. Dimensions: 5" wide 5" deep 3" high
Steel
Paul McCobb for Directional Miniature Cabinet, circa 1955
By Paul McCobb, Directional
Located in Chicago, IL
Paul McCobb for Directional Miniature Cabinet, circa 1955 A finely crafted miniature cabinet designed by Paul McCobb for Directional, circa 1955. Executed in mahogany with brass hard...
Brass
Rare Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Resin Hinged Box
By Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Rare Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Resin Hinged Box From the collection of Dorsey Reading Material: Bronze resin, brass hinge, plastic-laminated interior Dimensions: 6.50" H × 11.50" W ...
Brass
Studio Craft Solid Rosewood Lidded Box, in the Style of Arthur Espenet Carpenter
By Arthur Espenet Carpenter
Located in Chicago, IL
Studio Craft Solid Rosewood Lidded Box, in the Style of Arthur Espenet Carpenter A small, sculptural studio-made lidded box in solid rosewood, crafted in the style of California mast...
Rosewood
Paul Evans Patchwork Studio Box, Copper Bronze Pewter, Signed, 1969
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
Paul Evans Patchwork Studio Box, Copper Bronze Pewter, Signed, 1969. Large scale hinged patinated mixed metal textured box with painted red wood interior and lined with orange/yellow...
Bronze, Copper, Pewter
Mixed Metal Patchwork Box by Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in Oxnard, CA
Here is a brutalist, mixed metal keep-sake box by Paul Evans, circa 1970s. It is constructed of patinated copper panels and lined with cork. The design features splashes of solder a...
Copper
Brutalist Metal Patchwork Box with Insert Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in Atlanta, GA
A cube form desktop box covered with patchwork copper by American artist and designer Paul Evans (1931-1987). The lidded box has a plastic insert box and was made as an ice box or a ...
Metal
Paul Evans Style Cityscape Mixed Metal Patchwork Chest
By Paul Evans, Maitland Smith
Located in Houston, TX
Paul Evans style cityscape mixed metal patchwork chest. Handsome Paul Evans style cityscape mixed metal patchwork chest, box, coffer or document box. ...
Metal
Paul Evans 'PE-31' Patchwork Copper and Slate Cube Table for Directional, c 1967
By Directional, Paul Evans
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning 'PE-31' patchwork copper table by Paul Evans for Directional, produced in circa 1967. The cube shaped form is fabricated from patinated pieces of copper, bronze, and pewter which have been welded and nailed in a patchwork style pattern resting on top of a patinated steel plinth base with casters. Works fantastic as a coffee or cocktail table, or as a large end or side table. The table sits on top of casters which makes it easy to move around and relocate. The top has been fitted with slate. The fusion of these exterior materials formulates an exemplary piece which would be a welcome addition to any connoisseur's collection or high-end interior designer project. We have the matching PE-32 bar cabinet and PE-17 floating wall console with PE-18 mirror (all with Patchwork Copper) if you would like to create a matching set. We also carry other Paul Evans designs, including Cityscape, Deep-Relief, Artisan, and Sculptured Metal Collections. Contact us for more information or see our other listings for more details. This Paul Evans patchwork copper cube table...
Slate, Bronze, Copper, Pewter
Paul Evans Deep Relief Cabinet
By Paul Evans
Located in Highland, IN
A sublime piece of functional sculpture by Paul Evans, this 1968 Deep Relief cabinet features a wall-mounted case with torch-cut, welded, polychromed and patinated steel doors concea...
Slate, Steel
