Steel Folk Art

Interstate 405 freeway sign. Cool piece of California signage. Good vintage condition. Little stars imprinted thought the metal sign.

A mixture of nuts and bolts and scrap metal with gears welded together to make this Brutalist sculpture a real show stopper Bruce Gray known for his art in many museums and private ...

Jim Rose Standing found industrial objects 41h x 10w x 10d in 104.14h x 25.40w x 25.40d cm JR0355 Jim Rose b. 1966, d. 2023 Bio Born in Indiana, Jim Rose lived in Europe until he returned to the United States to attend college. After one year at Bard College, Jim transferred to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago (SAIC) where he graduated in 1988 with a BFA. His skillful interpretation of the Shaker design is a result of intense research and field study of Shaker furniture, architecture, culture and history. After over two decades of dedicated work, he has mastered the minimalism of the Shaker technique and created his own unique visual vernacular. The quilts of Gee's Bend have become a monumental influence taking this artist's work to new levels of unique interpretation and artistry. His selection of aged steel results in a patina directly related to that of aged wood while his colored strips beautifully mimic worn cloth. Each piece of furniture is masterfully made and intended for daily use. Jim Rose’s steel furniture is featured every year at SOFA Chicago for the past 25 years. Jim Rose b. 1966, Wisconsin Education 1989 B.F.A., Sculpture, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL 1988 Student at Large, Welding Technology, Triton College, Chicago, IL 1985 Undergraduate Photography Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York Awards 2008 Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship Award, Madison, WI. 2005 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA 2003 Grant Recipient for Shaker Interpretations in Cast Iron, PA Arts Assoc / WI Arts Board 2003 Arts/Industry Residency Program for Visual Artists, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Solo Exhibitions 2017 New Work, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2012 Simply Steel, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2007 Variation, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2001 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2000 Shaker in Steel / New Work, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 1999 Hands and Heart to Steel III, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL National Exhibitions 2017-2018 SOFA Chicago – Gallery Victor Armendariz 2016 - 1995 SOFA Chicago, New York, Palm Beach - Ann Nathan Gallery 2011 - 2002 Art Chicago - Ann Nathan Gallery Group Exhibitions 2017 Coming Attractions: Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2017 Living with Art: The Newman Collection, 108 Contemporary, Tulsa, Oklahoma 2016 Form Follows Function: The Intersection of Art and Craft, The Hardy Gallery, Ephraim, Wi 2015 NEO, Chipstone Foundation, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI 2015 ICFF, Furniture Society, Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY 2013 Vahki Revisited, The Enduring Spirit of a Craft Collection” Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2013 Fearless Furniture, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, IN 2013 Inaugural Exhibition, Museum Wisconsin of Art, West Bend, WI 2012 Sitting Pretty: Furniture from RAM’s Collection, Racine Art Museum, WI 2011 Hiding Places: Memory in the Arts, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, WI 2010 Living with Art, Strohl Art Center, Chautauqua Institution, NY 2009 Summer in Wisconsin, Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2009 High Honors, James Watrous Gallery, Madison, WI 2008 Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum of Art and Design, NY 2007 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Art Association, Jackson, WY 2007 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX (traveling exhibition) 2006 Show us Your Drawers, Herron School of Art, Indianapolis, IN 2006 Marriage of the Minds, Fairfield Center for Contemporary Art, Sturgeon Bay, WI 2006 27th Annual Contemporary Crafts, Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2006 Containers of All Dimensions, Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, AZ 2005 Transformation 5: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA 2004 Right at Home: American Studio Furniture, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. 2004 American Collections, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI 2004 More Than Drawers-Wisconsin Cabinets, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2004 Objects of Wonder, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI 2003 Planting, Potting and Pruning, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI 2003 Men at Work, Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI 2002 Case Pieces: Contemporary Studio Furniture, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Univ of WI-Madison 2002 Sitting Pretty: Contemporary Wisconsin Chairs, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI 2001 Anything with a Drawer - Award Recipient, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ 2001 23rd Annual Contemporary Crafts - Award Recipient, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ 2000 New Talent in Craft, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin 2000 Who Knows Where or When, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin 1999 The End is Near! Artists look at the 20th Century, Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI Selected collections Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin Mesa Contemporary Arts, Mesa, Arizona The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin Kohler Company, Kohler, Wisconsin Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, Indiana The Chipstone Foundation, Fox Point, Wisconsin Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin Publications “Selected Artists of Door County” Stonehill Publishing, 2016 “Galvanized Chest” Door County Living Magazine, Autumn 2012 “100 Artists of the Midwest” Schiffer Books, 2012 “Piecework” American Craft Magazine, February 2012 “Hiding Places, Memory in the Arts” John Michael Kohler Arts Center, June 2011 “Second Lives, Remixing the Ordinary” Museum of Arts and Design, NY, August 2008 “Studio Furniture” Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC, May 2008 “Discoveries by Designers” Architectural Digest, December 2005 “Contemporary Metal Furniture” Metalsmith Magazine, Winter 2003 “Studio Case Furniture: The Inside Story” American Craft Magazine, October 2002 “Contemporary Studio Case Furniture: The Inside Story” Elvehjem Museum of Art, 2002 “Chicago Style...

Modernist Welded Rebar / Steel And Animal Bone Abstract Sculpture .. Amazing use of space, Well executed,, balanced.. Artist unknown.Purchased from estate filled with high end art an...

This is a welded steel sculpture made by furniture creator Jim Rose. It is sustainable design created from salvaged and recycled steel panels left over from his larger projects. Thes...

A handsome English tractor seat or chair of polished steel, attached to a revolving four-legged stool stand. The seat has adjustable height of 16" to 26" by revolving the seat in cl...

Large 11 1/4 x 6 in. Medium 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. Small 5 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. An ingenious and unusual wooden and metal wire rod trivet from the Finnish designer Kaija Aarikka. The Aarikka design house is over 50 years old, started in 1954 by Kaija Aarikka who, as a textile design student, was unable to find suitably attractive buttons for a suit she had created for a final assignment. She decided to carve her own - and was surprised that her five buttons turned out to be the star of the day. That same year she and her husband founded their company, called Aarikka Oy, and opened their first sales outlet in Helsinki. In the ensuing years the company has focused on creating unique decorative and household designs showcasing local Finnish materials - which entails quite a bit of birch wood. The wooden circles are echoed by the circular wire loops at the end of each row of rings. The construction allows it to be slightly flexible but quite sturdy, while the open loops allow air to circulate under the pot. The wires can be rotated. The Aarikka Finland...

Great piece of Folk Art. Handmade metal helmet with leather flaps.

Amazing set of 3 wood working gouges and chisels. Numbered 2 (long), 3 (medium) and 4 (short). Maple pommel on each with a steel tang running through the handle. Each tool also has a...

Jim Rose, known primarily for his steel furniture, was an avid collector and scoured salvage yards for unique and interesting items. Here, a collection of spare parts come together ...

Known for his steel furniture, Jim Rose was an avid collector and scoured salvage yards for unique, interesting items. Here he has paired various repurposed finds together to create...

This is a welded steel sculpture made by furniture creator Jim Rose. It is sustainable design created from salvaged and recycled steel panels left over from his larger projects. These sculptures reference traditional American Folk Art barn...

Of Ethnographical interest, a trio of tribal beaded girls initiation apron from South Africa, likely from the Xhosa people who traditionally lived in the province of Eastern Cape. H...

Great barber shop collectible item consisting of a German straight edge razor with a molded red celluloid handle; theme is a nude standing on a pil...

Early Corona beer man cave or restaurant porcelain advertising sign. As found.

Highly desirable barber shop collectible item consisting of a German straight edge razor with a molded cream, red, and green colored celluloid hand...

Made of metal, chrome With aged patina Fully functional Original condition.

Sturdily built solid copper ships anchor lantern with fresnel glass lens, heavy protective brass bars, brass makers badge with name of Telford Grier, Mack...

Polished brass and steel yacht pulley. This was completely disassembled and polished. Weight is 1 pound. X-136

Forged steel 2008 Measures: 9 x 15 x 15 in. / 23 x 38 x 38 cm Hand crafted by William Roan, the blacksmith famous for making the original Bay Bridge Troll. About this piece,...

Rare 'Signal Ahead' yellow sign from a California Highway. Letters are made of reflectors. Stamped 'State of California' on the back with the date, 1959. Almost 4 feet wide. Extremel...

Interstate 15 freeway sign. Cool piece of California signage. Good condition. Great coloring and patina.

Polished and lacquered yacht pulley with two attached steel hooks. Weight is 1 pound. X-131

Polished steel ships not under command lantern with rich ruby red fresnel lens. Lantern is mounted to a thick wood base with routed edge and dark fin...

American amusement park car, "Little Red Convertible." A late 1940s streamline design similar to a Packard or Hudson of this post war era. Solid rub...

Vintage neighborhood watch sign. Much larger than the standard sized sign. Great muted coloring and graphics. Good vintage condition.

Industrial art sculpture made from steel I beam, "Random Movement."

Modernist Abstract painted steel and black marker Graffitied sculpture, by John Metzen/ Michael Merisola, Welded and painted steel, Great color proportion ...

Cool vintage highway sign in cobalt blue reflective metal. Depicts a large white phone on a blue background. Sign was used to direct drivers to a...

Cool vintage metal road sign for a United States Prison. Sign is letting the car know that they are now "LEAVING the TRAVEL RESTRICTED AREA." Interesting piece of automotive memorabilia...

Polished steel bow lantern from a boat with red and blue bullseye lenses to Signal port and starboard. Brass cap and mounting flanges. Lacking burner. Weight is 2 pounds.

In good original condition wood part is reoiled in nice patina no brakes and damages nice design seat height is 18cm.

Great vintage highway sign that reads Report Drunk Drivers Call 911. Stamped "Property of State of California" at the bottom. Blue reflective sig...

System walking stick: Pocket cane. In a small metal box, knurlel steel, tube shape, a stick is inserted. Based on the principle of the steel-spring coi...

Late 19th century lawn tape by Chesterman, Sheffield, England. Chesterman's patented steel tape in leather case. 200 ft tape. Leather hand strap; brass fittings. See The Smithsonian ...

Super cool Los Angeles freeway sign. 10.5 feet long and 3 feet tall. Metal sign, likely from 10 Freeway. Sign depicts the exit ramp for the GRAMMY MUSEUM,...

To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...

Very cool California "Adopt a Freeway" freeway sign with a bright orange sun at the top and a road lined with trees in the foreground. The metal sign is cut out to the shape of the image on the sign. A star watermark is visible on the image of this sign. Great coloring and condition. Fantastic piece of California and transportation ephemera. Stamped 'Property State of California...

Massive yellow pedestrian crossing sign from Los Angeles. Great coloring. Dent going through the middle. Still very presentable.

Modernist abstract welded steel sculpture "Explosion" by Robert Brock. Intricately designed, precision welded steel rods, intentionally made to look as if it was blasted open, truly ...

Polished steel marine bow lantern with port and starboard fresnel lenses, brass cap. Lacking its burner. Weight is 2 pounds.

Very cool vintage California freeway sign showing the way to Big Bear Lake. Iconic location in California, cool piece of history. Great coloring and worn condition. Fantastic piece of California ephemera...

Super rare vintage porcelain highway sign. Great green coloring with white lettering. Retired highway sign letting drivers know there is a place to pull o...

Los Angeles trash cleanup sign. Emerald green background with a man in work clothes picking up trash. Great coloring and patina. Cool vintage graphics...

Stunning metal sign of a school girl letting you know the speed limit in the school zone. 48" tall. Double sided. Great coloring, with grey, light blues an...

Vintage 'no bikes on sidewalk' sign with incredible sunburn weathering patina. Steel sign featuring a bicycle encircled by a red ring with a line through it. Great faded coloring give this piece unique character. Cool vintage graphics...

Industrial galvanised water tank made into a coffee table. This quirky industrial table was originally made as a roof water tank, but it has never been used as such, it has been p...

Vintage California road sign warning people to wear their seatbelt. White steel reflective sign with black outline of a person sitting down with a...

Amazing ! Oversized Carved wood and painted Sheaffer Fountain Pen Store Display , Selling two pens. One 5" high 6 " in diameter.. other 50" h , 4" in diameter. Very well made, Qualit...

Vintage highway gas station sign from Texas. Blue sign with white graphics. Great coloring. Good condition.

A pair of early 20th century buckle sample boards, thick card with cord sewn steel buckles and hand numbered in graphite. Faded green backing paper with a pleasing red boarder, s...

Very unique California street sign depicting a family of Snow men. Two adults and two children. Steel sign in great condition with great coloring. Cool piece ...

Modernist Painted metal / steel Sculpture by John Metzen.. Over 7 feet high..Wonderful form,,,color .. Would make a statement in any environment..

Large vintage garden snail sculpture from France. Hand-made circa 1950-1969 from concrete with ceramic "Pique assiette" type mosaic decoration.

Interesting vintage road sign made of steel. Depicts the word "NEW" at the bottom with an orange reflective panel above. Great vintage condition.

Massive acid yellow reflective road sign from the City of Los Angeles. Depicting a man and woman crossing the road. Good vintage condition.  

Polished copper cream pail with brass and nickel trim with steel carry handle.

Folk Art welded steel chair / sculpture handmade /designed and built after the iconic bentwood side chair by Norman Cherner, amazing quality, construction, clean, flawless seams. Ret...

Ship's polished and lacquered onion lantern with protective brass bars, ruby red lens, new socket and wired for home display. Overall dimensions: Weight...

Brutalist steel cattail table top sculpture signed on the base. Made of cut steel. Cut marks in the leaves add texture along with the hand hammered Cattails. 33 1/2" tall