Ward Bennett Elegant Tufted Leather Sofa, 1970s, 'Signed'
About the Item
- Creator:Ward Bennett (Designer),Lehigh Furniture Company (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 85 in (215.9 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Refinished. Leather cleaned and polished. Legs refinished.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: sofa94F1stDibs: LU783820020682
Ward Bennett
Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.
Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.
Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.
Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.
Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.
You May Also Like
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Settees
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Chrome
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Leather
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Foam, Lucite, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Daybeds
Fabric, Foam, Walnut
Vintage 1940s American Modern Sectional Sofas
Mohair, Upholstery, Mahogany
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Chaise Longues
Chrome
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Serving Tables
Glass, Mahogany
