The design of brutalist furniture encompasses that which is crafted, hewn and worked by hand — an aesthetic rebuke (or, at least, a counterpoint) to furniture that is created using 21st-century materials and technology. Lately, the word “brutalist” has been adopted by the realms of furniture design and the decorative arts to refer to chairs, cabinets, tables and accessory pieces such as mirror frames and lighting that are made of rougher, deeply textured metals and other materials that are the visual and palpable antithesis of the sleek, smooth and suave.
ORIGINS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE BRUTALIST FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The term brutalism — which derives from the French word brut, meaning “raw” — was coined by architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring monumental buildings, usually made of unornamented concrete, whose design was meant to project an air of strength and solidity.
Le Corbusier essentially created the brutalist style; its best-known iterations in the United States are the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was designed by Marcel Breuer, and Paul Rudolph's Yale Art and Architecture Building. The severe style might have been the most criticized architectural movement of the 20th century, even if it was an honest attempt to celebrate the beauty of raw material. But while the brutalist government buildings in Washington, D.C., seemingly bask in their un-beauty, brutalist interior design and decor is much more lyrical, at times taking on a whimsical, romantic quality that its exterior counterparts lack.
Paul Evans is Exhibit A for brutalist furniture design. His Sculpture Front cabinets laced with high-relief patinated steel mounts have become collector's items nonpareil, while the chairs, coffee table and dining table in his later Cityscape series and Sculpted Bronze series for Directional Furniture are perhaps the most expressive, attention-grabbing pieces in American modern design. Other exemplary brutalist designers are Silas Seandel, the idiosyncratic New York furniture designer and sculptor whose works in metal — in particular his tables — have a kind of brawny lyricism, and Curtis Jere, a nom-de-trade for the California team of Curtis Freiler and Jerry Fels, the bold makers of expressive scorched and sheared copper and brass mirror frames and wall-mounted sculptures.
Brutalist furniture and sculptures remain popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find authentic vintage brutalist chairs, coffee tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
German Studio Pottery Jug Vase by Gerhard Liebenthron, 1993
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage Brutalist German Studio Pottery Jug Vase by Gerhard Liebenthron, 1993, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1990 to 1999 This piece has an attribution mark, Additional informat...
Ceramic
Beautiful Set of four Copper Handmade Brutalist Flower Vase, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful set of four flower vases made in Germany, circa 1970s. These are single flower or rose vases. Made of copper, they have some nice patina, but this is old-age. The size give...
Copper
Mid-Century Brutalist Danish Ceramic Candleholder from Lehmann Pottery, 1960s
By Lehmann
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Brutalist Danish Ceramic Candleholder from Lehmann Pottery, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional informat...
Ceramic
Mid-Century Brutalist Danish Studio Pottery Bowl Sculpture from Bjørn, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Brutalist Danish Studio Pottery Bowl Sculpture from Bjørn, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional informati...
Ceramic
$14,320Sale Price / item|20% Off
Modern Totem in Dark Elegance, Carved Burned Oak, Presented in Still Stand No95
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Modern Totem in Dark Elegance, Carved Burned Oak, Presented in Still Stand No95 _ Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. Each one is a...
Hardwood
Pieter Spruyt handmade Brass 3 Brutalist Torchères
Located in Den Haag, NL
Hand made Brass Torchères. Made and signed by Pieter Spruyt 1980s . fit for tea lights . or other Candles . set of Three .
Brass
Set of Two Beautiful Travertine Candle Holder by Fratelli Mannelli, Italy 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This beautiful set of Candlesticks in Travertine Marble is a wonderful example of Italian decorative objects production during the 1970s. Made by Fratelli Mannelli, the color and the...
Travertine
$1,704Sale Price / set|20% Off
Brutalist Murano Art Glass Vases by Costantini, Italy, 1970s
By Constantini
Located in Valencia, VC
A Pair of Brutalist Murano Art Glass Vases Attributed to Costantini A striking pair of Brutalist Murano art glass vases distinguished by their sculptural organicist form and sophist...
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Small Canoa Dish A060 cast brass (gold colour) and aluminium (silver colour)
Located in Benahavis, AN
The decorative Dish was created by David Marshall, it is made of sand cast aluminum and sand cast brass. We can engrave this piece with your Initials or Logo, makes a beautiful Weddi...
Aluminum, Brass
Bowl round A070 cast solid Brass and Aluminium Silver and Gold coloured handmade
Located in Benahavis, AN
The decorative Bowl was created by David Marshall, it is made of sand cast aluminum and sand cast brass. We can engrave this piece with your Initials or Logo, makes a beautiful Wed...
Aluminum, Brass
Brutalist Expressionist Horse Sculpture, Signed JC with Copyright Mark, 1980s
Located in San Diego, CA
A dynamic Brutalist-style horse sculpture rendered with heavy, expressive surface modeling and a strong sense of motion. The figure’s elongated limbs and bowed head convey tension an...
Resin
Mid-Century German Studio Pottery Vase by Melitta Teubner, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century German Studio Pottery Vase by Melitta Teubner, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Material...
Ceramic
Rare Brutalist Iron Candleholder, Hand-Forged European Design, 1960s
Located in Herentals, BE
A rare and beautifully executed Brutalist iron candleholder, handcrafted in Europe during the 1960s. The columnar form, pierced with organic voids, and the thick, hammered surface cr...
Iron
A BRUTALIST Golden SHABBY-CHIC Wrought Iron CANDELABRA CANDLESTICK, France 2001
Located in PARIS, FR
A spectacular candlestick or candelabra sculpture, Post-Modernist, Brutalist, Shabby-Chic, "organic" tree composition of golden wrought iron rods, folded and welded, mounted on a tri...
Wrought Iron
$288Sale Price / set|20% Off
Organic Modern Burl Wood Bookends, Sculptural Brutalist Studio Craft, 1970s
Located in San Carlos, CA
A striking pair of sculptural bookends carved from solid burl wood, celebrating the natural beauty and irregularity of the material. Each bookend features dramatic swirling grain, kn...
Burl
Wooden Zodiac Crab Cancer Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief, made in the brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a wall decoration or as a decoration it...
Plywood
$2,400Sale Price / set|20% Off
Pair of Artist‑Signed Pierced Studio‑Ceramic Vessels, Nordic Organic Brutalist
Located in Skien, NO
Nordic Organic Brutalist studio pottery – expressive hand‑worked texture, raw tactile clay surfaces, sculptural functional form with perforated detailing, typical Norwegian studio‑ce...
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
1970s Brutalist Iron Candleholder Sculpture, Vertical Architectural Form
Located in Stockholm, SE
A sculptural Brutalist iron candleholder composed as a vertical architectural structure. The composition consists of stacked, heavy iron elements placed on top of one another in a ca...
Metal, Wrought Iron, Iron
Vintage Large Scale Brutalist Cattail Sculpture on a Burled Wood Base
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Charleston, SC
A beautiful brutalist mixed metal sculpture on a Burled wood base. It featured 7 cattails in different heights as well as leaves of different heights and shapes. After C. Jere.
Metal
Italian Brutalist Ceramic Planter, 1970s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Italian studio planter. Decorated with a mustard colored main glazes and set with splashes of thick blue lava glaze to the circular perforations and dots. Marked: Italy 77 to its bas...
Ceramic
Midcentury Brutalist Travertine Marble Italian Bookends Fratelli Mannelli, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This beautiful set of bookends in Travertine Marble is a wonderful example of Italian decorative objects produced during the 1970s. Made by Fratelli Mannelli, the color and the texture of the marble, together with the pure and geometrical design, make it a wonderful example of midcentury elegance. This item is perfect for a desk in an office room or for being the focal center of a living room or a hallway entry...
Travertine
Large Vintage Brutalist Glazed Ceramic Sculpture, English, 1980S
Located in Bristol, GB
VINTAGE SCULPTURE An abstract free-form organic shaped ceramic sculpture, incorporating multiple holes and voids to create a hollowed appearance slightly reminiscent of an alien lif...
Ceramic
Set of five Swiss decorative brutalist copper vases
Located in Bern, BE
Set of five Brutalist decorative vases & jugs dating from the 1960's. Made in Switzerland. Varying sizes, with the largest piece measuring 34cm's. Two jugs with teak handles. All in ...
Metal, Copper
Rare Brutalist Studio Pottery Stoneware Vase by Sally Hare Leibold
By Sally Hare Leibold 1
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare Brutalist studio pottery stoneware vase by Sally Hare Leibold, circa 1970s. An interesting, cool and different piece that is made of stoneware pottery, characterized by its eart...
Stoneware, Ceramic
Solid Carved Walnut Box In The Style of Marolles, France 1940's
Located in New York, NY
An original solid carved walnut box with a handle and built-in hinge.
Walnut
Brutalist Blue Green Vase by. Helmut Friedrich Schäffenacker, 1970s, Germany
By Helmut Friedrich Schäffenacker
Located in Stockholm, SE
Brutalist Blue Green Square Vase by Helmut Friedrich Schäffenacker, 1970s, Germany. Helmut Friedrich Schäffenacker (1921–2010) was a German ceramici...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Brutalist Stainless Steel Vase by Olav Joff for Polaris/Figgjo, Norway 1970s
By Olaf Joff
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A square/rectangular stainless steel vase designed by Olav Joff (born 1942) and manufactured by Figgjo/Polaris in Sandness Norway from the early 1970s. From the "Steel Art" series. ...
Stainless Steel
Large Brutalist Candle Holder, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Large Brutalist Candle Holder, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 Additional information: Style: Brutalist Color: Black Item Type: Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned Dimensio...
Glass
Brutalist Elm Totem Sculpture by Sebastien Touret, France
Located in London, GB
Large Brutalist Elm Totem Sculpture by Sebastien Touret, France Dimensions : H 203 x 32 x 43 cm The term brutalism — which derives from the French w...
Elm
Mid-Century Danish Studio Pottery Bowl from Lehmann Pottery, 1960s
By Lehmann
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Danish Studio Pottery Bowl from Lehmann Pottery, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Materi...
Ceramic
Small Trapeze Candelabra reference G039 in cast brass and aluminium
Located in Benahavis, AN
The candelabra was created by David Marshall, from sand cast aluminium and brass. We use recycled materials all our pieces are handmade, mounted and finished in our foundry and wor...
Brass, Aluminum
Brutalist Celtic Bowl Solid Cast Aluminium and Brass A070 by David Marshall
Located in Benahavis, AN
The decorative Celtic Bowl was created by David Marshall, it is made of sand cast aluminum and sand cast brass. Handmade, mounted and finished in our foundry and workshop in Spain from recycled materials. Certified authentic by the Artist David Marshall with his signature. The Artist is inspired by nature and land scape making functional art and sculptures out of recycled materials. We work with arquitects, interior designers and private clients to create specific designs, signage, staircases etc. for Homes, Hotels, Restaurants. Awards for Charity...
Aluminum, Brass
Mid-Century Brutalist Metal Candleholder, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Brutalist Metal Candleholder, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969. Additional information: Material: Metal Color: Brown Styles: Brutalist, Mid-Century Modern ...
Metal
Mid-Century Scandianvian Heavy Bubble Glass Block Vase, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Scandianvian Heavy Bubble Glass Block Vase, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969. Additional information: Material: Glass Styles: Brutalist, Mid-Century...
Glass
Marcel Ramond (1935-) Metal geometric sculpture, circa 1970
Located in Paris, FR
Marcel Ramond (1935-) Metal geometric sculpture, circa 1970 Welded iron Signed under the base A certificate will be provided to the buyer Length 44 x Height 38 x Depth 18 cm
Metal
French Vintage Plaster Bust of Woman, Hand-Crafted, Circa 1920
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A monumental French vintage bust of an anonymous young woman in larger-than-life scale, her unforgettable likeness rendered in plaster that has been pigmented and faux-finished to ap...
Plaster
Elegant and Dark, the Biomorphic Burned Oak Sculpture Still Stand 88
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
Elegant and Dark, the Biomorphic Burned Oak Sculpture by Joel Escalona, Still Stand No88 —— Joel Escalona's wooden standing sculptures are objects of raw beauty and serene grace. ...
Hardwood
Vintage Caged Brutalist Vase or Urn in Brass
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Raw industrial looking and brutally styled urn or lidded vase for flower arrangement or incense. Both the wire lid and container are made from solid brass. Un-known origin circa 1960...
Brass
A huge brutalist Steel Totem – Gilbert Ségas, France, 1994
By César Baldaccini, Gonçalo Mabunda, Jean Tinguely
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
This metal sculpture by Gilbert Ségas depicts an anthropomorphic figure with a totemic presence, assembled from old tools. Two large crossed shears form the legs, while pliers and ot...
Steel
Black Brutalist Stoneware Bowl with Shark Teeth Pattern
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A brutalist stylized stoneware bowl decorated with black glaze and shark teeth/fin decor around its perimeter. It's a unique piece by an unidentified Scandinavian ceramist. Its dated...
Stoneware
Arenson Studio “Infinity” Brutalist Hammered Brass, Leather Box
Located in Jensen Beach, FL
Hand-hammered copper box by Arenson Studios, West Palm Beach, FL, circa 1970s.
Copper
Sculptural Table Lamp Carved on in Olive Wood France 1950
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This table lamp, is carved in the wood. The wood has this light brown color of this wood, with the old patina. This lamp was made in France, circa 1950, The wood is olive wood. U...
Wood
Stoneware pot, France, 1960
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
A French stoneware pot from the 1960s, exemplifying the post-war revival of handcrafted ceramics. Its architectural and balanced form is characterized by a cylindrical body topped wi...
Stoneware
Handmade Brutalist artist bronze candlestick signed Beergmeister Germany
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
Bronze candlestick object Art Deco Kunstschmiede Bergmeister Ebersberg. With beautiful patina
Bronze
Set of 3 Metal CACTUS Contemporary BRUTALIST SCULPTURES by ESOJ France 2020
Located in PARIS, FR
A set of 3 strong and spectacular metal cactus, contemporary brutalist sculptures, unique pieces by artist ESOJ, France 2020. Dimensions : The higher : H 101.5 x D 23 cm / H 40 x D 9 inch The medium : H 50 x D 17 cm / H 20 x 6.7 inch The smaller : H 21 x D 16,5 cm / H 8.2 x 6.5 inch These pieces allow to be presented independently, as well as together (recommended) allowing various esthetic compositions. They are made to be set up indoor as radical sculptures, as well as outdoor on a terrasse or in any garden or even wild nature to create a trouble illusion between wildness and modernity. We represent ESOJ and organized his exhibition "Metal Spirit", November 2022, in our gallery in Paris, and this unique piece was presented during this event. Esoj's work is rooted in a direct link to daily life, to the visual value of consumer objects. Whether they are elements of nature or products of pop culture, he fixes them in the metal to give them a definitive appearance, a form of immortality: a box of opened chocolates will be there forever, nothing will not erase Mickey's sluggish smile, nor his middle finger; a succulent plant frozen in iron will no longer need water... A parallel world under construction, a world of avatars springing from a metallic quintessence which confronts man with himself, with matter, with progress, to the flow of time. Beyond their symbolic force, Esoj's sculptures express as much the visceral gesture of the artist in a world losing meaning, as they catalog his universe in a subjective archive. For his first collaboration with us, Esoj looks away from his Barbie dolls, Playmobils and bags of M&Ms, to sketch a sort of return to Nature and vibrate an ancestral wisdom evident in his new series of cacti, succulents, vases and masks murals with shamanic connotations. A wisdom that he draws from his Portuguese origins, this saudade: “tension between opposites, on the one hand the feeling of a lack, on the other hand the hope and the desire to find what we lack”, embodied here by a particularly inhabited desert; where cacti are next to agaves, aloes, prickly pears, plants which are certainly ornamental but also hallucinogenic and healing, sometimes fatal; where the series of containers suggests an almost medicinal link between these inert objects, even more obvious in the wall piece inspired by Korean...
Metal
1960's Swiss Brutalist wrought iron floor standing Candle Holder
Located in Bern, BE
Large Brutalist floor standing wrought iron candle holder dating from the late 1950's - early 1960's. With single candle holder on a decorated tripod base. Believed to be of Swiss or...
Wrought Iron
Mid-Century Modern Brutalist Vase by Angelo Bragalini
Located in Waddinxveen, ZH
Angelo Bragalini was born in 1913 and raised in Bologna. He studied architecture, fine and applied arts in Rome, Venice and Firenze. His talent and passion for sculpture were quickly...
Copper
Set of 5 planters, decorative vases by Dutch Mobach in clay. Midcentury modern.
By Mobach
Located in Forest, BE
Set of large planters / decorative vases by dutch company Mobach. Strong and heavy in light various tones of beige and brown. __________________...
Clay
Brutalist Design Art Ceramic Bowl by Jan Nolf, Perignem Belgium 1950's
Beautiful Metal Crane Flamingo Figure Smokers set Brutalist Era, Germany, 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A large Figurine made of wrought iron for Holding Cigarettes, Matchsticks and Smoking Accessories. Made of metal with a nice patina and rusty parts. Typically made in Germany in the 1960s, as a statement piece on a cupboard or credenza. Also nice for a mens room.
Metal
Pair of West German Fat Lava Pottery Vessels Attributed to Marei Keramik, 1970s
Located in San Diego, CA
A striking pair of vintage West German art pottery vessels attributed to Marei Keramik, executed during the height of the celebrated Fat Lava movement of the late 1960s and early 197...
Ceramic
Still Stand Abstract Wood Sculpture, Chainsaw Carved, Walnut, Logniture
By Logniture
Located in Stara Gradiška, HR
Carved from a single solid log, the form rises through a series of open, pierced voids that give the piece a lightness completely at odds with the density of the material. It reads d...
Walnut
Abstract Brutalist Bird Sculpture, Welded Bronze on Concrete Base, C 1960s-70s
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A compelling example of mid-century Brutalist metalwork, this hand-worked bronze sculpture depicts an abstracted bird form with remarkable economy of means. The composition balances ...
Concrete, Bronze
Mid-Century Brutalist Bronze Vase, Vintage Design, 1960s, Brown Patina
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Brutalist Bronze Vase, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969. Additional information: Materials: Bronze Color: Brown Styles: Brutalist, Mid-Century Modern Item ...
Bronze
Wrought Iron Candle Stand with Beads, Brutalist Style, Denmark, 1970s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Hand forged Wrought Iron Candle Stand With Beads . Good condition .
Wrought Iron
Vintage Brutalist German Studio Pottery Carafe Vase by Gerhard Liebenthron 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage Brutalist German Studio Pottery Carafe Vase by Gerhard Liebenthron, 1970s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1970 to 1979 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional info...
Ceramic
Mid-Century Brutalist Candleholder from Harjes, Germany, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Mid-Century Brutalist Candleholder from Harjes, Germany, 1960s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1960 to 1969 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional information: Material: ...
Metal
Claudio Capotondi Abstract Bronze Table Sculpture, 1995
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Modern handcrafted Claudio Capotondi Brutalist Cast Bronze Table Sculpture on Black Marble Base. Featuring a rectangular form (12H x 12W x 2.25D) with double flared cast Bronze desig...
Marble, Bronze
Mid-Century Brutalist String Style Metal Candleholder, 1960s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Brutalist candelabra with nine arms. The arms finely executed are executed black and mounted on a spiral walk. Additional information: Materials: Metal Color: Black Styles: Brutalis...
Metal
Brutalist Wall Sculpture of Patinated Metal
By Tony Melendy, Silas Seandel, Curtis Jeré
Located in Houston, TX
Brutalist wall sculpture of patinated metal. Monumental Brutalist wall sculpture of patinated metal inspired by Silas Seandel. Fabulous large Brutalist abstract wall sculpture of patinated metal in the manner of Silas Seandel/Curtis Jere/Tony Melendy...
Iron