Arthur Umanoff Walnut and Aluminum Sofa or Bench for Madison Furniture, 1950s
View Similar Items
Arthur Umanoff Walnut and Aluminum Sofa or Bench for Madison Furniture, 1950s
About the Item
- Creator:Madison Furniture (Maker),Arthur Umanoff (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 48.5 in (123.19 cm)Depth: 25.75 in (65.41 cm)Seat Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Bridgeport, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU237338712733
Arthur Umanoff
Though much of Arthur Umanoff’s furniture is marked by a no-frills simplicity common in American mid-century modern design, his work is anything but one-note. Over the course of a prolific career, Umanoff designed everything from case pieces to candleholders to dining chairs in iron, leather, walnut, wicker and more. With furnishings for a broad range of manufacturers throughout the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and early ’80s, Umanoff continued a thread of sculptural elegance and textural sensitivity through his designs.
After graduating from Pratt Institute in the early 1950s, Umanoff experimented mostly with wood furniture before landing a job at Post Modern Ltd, a New York manufacturer of wrought-iron furniture. There he produced furnishings that married wrought iron with wood and plastic, creating functional pieces free of utilitarian bulkiness. Umanoff continued his experimentation with mixed materials through a partnership with Shaver Howard, for whom he designed wine racks in combinations of iron, leather and wicker.
When Shaver Howard bought Boyeur Scott, Umanoff conceived several furniture designs for the brand, including the 1964 Granada collection, whose curlicue iron bases, visible through glass tops, stand out as some of his most ornate and decorative work. Indeed, much of Umanoff’s oeuvre is far more simplistic, like iron-and-pine armchairs for The Elton Co. or low-backed, slatted-seat barstools with slender iron legs for Raymor.
Umanoff was fluent, too, in the more sumptuous modernism of the era: In the mid-1960s, he designed the 2405 and 4449 armchairs for Madison Furniture Industries. Popular in offices, the walnut-framed, leather-upholstered seats, which could have been mistaken for the seductive Scandinavian modern seating of the era, were reportedly the jumping-off point for Captain Kirk’s iconic seat on Star Trek.
Even as he is among the mid-century modern designers you may not know, with work across such a range of styles and manufacturers (most no longer in business), Umanoff, who died in 1985, leaves a legacy that is fascinatingly diverse and at times enticingly elusive, making his work intriguing objects for collectors.
Find vintage Arthur Umanoff furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Danish Banana Form Curved Sofa or Loveseat Early 1950sBy Mogens LassenLocated in Bridgeport, CTBeautiful and very elegant 1940s curved two-seat sofa from the 1940s. Often called banana sofas by the Danes due to the curved shape. This sofa has slightly more straight backrest an...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Danish Midcentury Sofa Two-Tone Wool with Teak Legs and Wood Accents 1950sBy Kurt OlsenLocated in Bridgeport, CTVery Classic and ultra cool Danish three-seat sofa epitomizing the 1950s and reminiscent of Kurt Olsen's design style. Built on a sturdy beech wood frame and raised on solid teak leg...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool, Teak
- Danish 1950s Settee or Loveseat in the Style of Peter HvidtBy Peter HvidtLocated in Bridgeport, CTClassic and very elegant lines very much in the style of the early Danish iconic Designer, Peter Hvidt made circa late 1940s-1950s. Back and seat nice and firm and frame on beech leg...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Loveseats
MaterialsWool, Beech
- Danish 1940-50's Curved Sofa or LoveseatBy Viggo Boesen, Slagelse MobelvaerkLocated in Bridgeport, CTBeautiful and very elegant Danish curved two-seat sofa raised on a beech frame and legs. Probably manufactured around 1950 even if the original design came out of the late art deco e...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsBeech, Wool
- Danish 1950s Settee or Loveseat in Red Wool in the Style of Peter HvidtBy Peter HvidtLocated in Bridgeport, CTClassic and very elegant lines very much in the style of the early Danish iconic Designer, Peter Hvidt made circa late 1940s-1950s. Back and seat nice and firm and frame on Cuban mah...Category
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Loveseats
MaterialsWool, Beech
- Danish 1940s Curved Sofa or Loveseat in Red MohairBy Slagelse Mobelvaerk, Viggo BoesenLocated in Bridgeport, CTBeautiful and very elegant 1940s curved sofa/loveseat in red mohair wool fabric. The sofa has springs in the seat and the backrest and the cushions a...Category
Vintage 1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsMohair, Beech
- Arthur Umanoff Walnut Bench Modular Sofa with Table for Madison Furniture, 1950sBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in Deland, FLUltra cool modular 2-seat sofa with built in table in walnut and covered in original knit designed by Arthur Umanoff in the 1950s for Madison ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWalnut
- Arthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture Mid Century Modular Seated BenchBy Madison Furniture, Arthur UmanoffLocated in Countryside, ILArthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture mid century modular seated bench Bench measures: 87.5 wide x 25 deep x 32 high, with a seat height of 20 inch...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsChrome
- Arthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture Mid Century Modular 2 Seater BenchBy Madison Furniture, Arthur UmanoffLocated in Countryside, ILArthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture mid century modular 2 seater bench Bench measures: 65 wide x 23 deep x 33 high, with a seat height of 19 inch...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsChrome
- Madison Furn. Vinyl Faux Leather Turquoise Chrome Bench Daybed Style A. UmanoffBy Madison Furniture, Arthur UmanoffLocated in Topeka, KSAwesome Mid-Century Modern bench or daybed in the style of Arthur Umanoff for Madison Furniture Co. Comprised of the original turquoise vinyl faux leather with box stitching and chrome steel legs. In beautiful vintage condition. There is some sun fading on ends of the skirt and a nick in the vinyl on one corner and a few other nicks have been touched up. Please see photos, circa mid-late 20th century. How fabulous is this turquoise bench...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
$3,996 Sale Price20% Off - Unique Wrought Iron and Wicker Gossip Bench in the Style of Arthur Umanoff 1950sBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in Mexico, DFVery unique wrought iron and wicker Gossip Bench from the 50s. in the very simple yet sophisticated style of Arthur Umanoff (doesn´t have authentication)....Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Benches
MaterialsWrought Iron
- Arthur Umanoff Walnut Spindle Stools, USA 1960'sBy Arthur UmanoffLocated in New York, NYA set of spindle stools by Arthur Umanoff in walnut, upholstered in wool. Priced by the pair. Two pairs available.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
$4,250 / set
