Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 13

Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio Early and Rare Loop Cabinet in Copper

Name: Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio Early and Rare Loop Cabinet in Copper
Brand: Paul Evans
Rating: 4.9 (177 reviews)

About the Item

Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio, ‘Loop’ wall-mounted cabinet, welded copper with applied verdigris patina, steel, brass, painted wood, United States, circa 1968 Made around 1968, this Verdigris Copper Loop wall-mounted cabinet, also known as Loop, is an early design by Paul Evans and undeniably breathes artistic excellence combined with impeccable craftsmanship. The loop cabinet gained appraisal at the exhibition “Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism”, held in Michener Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania (1 March - 1 June 2014). In addition, the cabinet graced the walls of Dorsey Reading’s house, Evans’s most valuable collaborator. This piece exemplifies Evans’s idiosyncratic way with welding and constructing. Evans departed from the traditional values of the designer-craftsman, which prioritize respect for materials and functional simplicity. Instead, he showed a keen interest in manipulating materials and creating artificial aging effects. However, he maintained a strong belief in the importance of the craftsman's expertise and ingenuity as the foundation for innovation and replication. The emphasis on surface treatment became the defining characteristic of his furniture designs, of which this cabinet is a prime example. As Evans articulates the essence of his oeuvre, handmade product should bear the mark of the hand. Mere good lines are insufficient, as those can be industrially produced. Furniture ought to embody detail and richness. The present Loop cabinet features bi-fold doors characterized by a sculptural relief comprising a series of looped screens in copper alternated by gold-colored studs arranged in a clustered way. To achieve this greenish-blue patina, Evans employed the verdigris technique. Copper comes into contact with air, water, and various elements, leading to oxidation and chemical interactions with its surroundings. The cabinet embodies an organic liveliness with beautiful color variations and natural-occurring shapes with an undulating outline. Dorsey Reading, who started working as an apprentice for Paul Evans, and gradually evolved into Evans’s most relied-upon collaborator, helped building this cabinet. Reading’s career with Evans started out with washing the landscape pebbles that covered the floor of the showroom Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell shared. From executing basic tasks to being a foreman, Reading played a pivotal role in the experimental nature of Evans' artistic endeavors for over 20 years. Reading played a crucial role in aiding Paul Evans to learn the practical aspects of metalworking, including cutting, welding, and shaping metal components, thereby realizing his furniture designs. The partnership between Evans and Reading was deeply symbiotic, characterized by mutual trust and understanding. Evans, with his visionary sketches, relied on Reading to translate concepts into tangible pieces, often employing coded symbols understood only by the two of them. Reading became largely responsible for the development and prototyping of products. Dorsey would build up the base structure, and Evans would direct all the additions and alterations. When Evans considered new techniques, Reading would do the research to explore and develop them further. This truly exceptional piece of furniture with a remarkable provenance embodies Evans's distinctive approach to design, highlighting the plasticity of metal materials and resulting in handcrafted, labor-intensive pieces, each configured into its own distinct design. Paul Evans (1931-1987) was among one of the most important American Studio Craft Movement members. Together with artists such as Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima, he helped to make the Philadelphia region a prominent center for the Studio Craft in the late 1960s. Born in Newton, Pennsylvania, Evans studied at a few different institutions such as the Philadelphia Textile Institute, the Rochester Institute of Technology, School for American Craftsman, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Eventually, he was drawn to New Hope, Pennsylvania, in 1955 where he collaborated and shared a showroom with Phillip Lloyd Powell until 1966. Powell’s woodwork and Evans's metal craftsmanship combined into a creative partnership. During this period, he started to create furniture with metal and sculpture by which he manipulated materials to achieve expressive surface effects. In 1964, Evans started working for the Directional Furniture company where he pursued a new phase of his career. Directional offered him new opportunities for selling his work throughout the US and he continuously introduced new lines. However, his line proved to be too expensive and by the end of the seventies, he ended his relationship with the company. It was also throughout the seventies that Evans started to replace these crusty, textured surfaced, that were patinated with paint and acid, with dazzling, reflective metal surfaces that were sometimes mixed with woods. Evans’s oeuvre has an impressive size especially when regarding all pieces were handmade. On March 6, 1987, the artist shut down his business and, unfortunately, died the next day due to a heart attack.

Creator:
Paul Evans (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 53.15 in (135 cm)Width: 37.01 in (94 cm)Depth: 21.66 in (55 cm)
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Copper,Steel,Wood
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1968
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Every item Morentz offers is checked by our team of 30 craftspeople in our in-house workshop. Special restoration or reupholstery requests can be done. Check ‘About the item’ or ask our design specialists for detailed information on the condition.
Seller Location:
Waalwijk, NL
Reference Number:
Seller: 501154391stDibs: LU933138748372

Shop All Paul Evans

Paul Evans

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.

Rare "Sculpted Bronze" Wall-Hanging Cabinet by Paul Evans for Directional

H 22.5 in W 72.5 in D 22 in

Rare "Sculpted Bronze" Wall-Hanging Cabinet by Paul Evans for Directional

By Paul Evans

Located in Montreal, QC

Rare "sculpted bronze" wall-hanging cabinet by Paul Evans Model PE 40 for Directional. The front fitted two bi-fold doors , the top inset with typical slate top. Incised signature an...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Resin

Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell Gold Leaf and Walnut Studio Cabinet, 1963

H 92 in W 25 in D 26 in

Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell Gold Leaf and Walnut Studio Cabinet, 1963

By Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell

Located in Dallas, TX

This early studio craft 23 Karat gold leafed cabinet was made as a collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the mid 1960s. The upper storage compartment unlatches to reveal two adjustable felt-lined shelves. The center compartment conceals a vanity complete with three mirrors embellished with torch-cut brazed discs flanked by two vertical rows of lightbulbs. Behind the mirror is a secret hidden storage compartment. Below this feature is a drop-front laminated tray and an open storage compartment. The bottom of the cabinet boasts a bank of five hand-carved solid walnut drawers and the left side has a cut-out with a hidden outlet and a slate surface which would provide a convenient smartphone charging station...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Slate, Brass, Gold Leaf

1973 Paul Evans Floating Cabinet

H 29.25 in W 72 in D 20 in

1973 Paul Evans Floating Cabinet

By Paul Evans

Located in Asbury Park, NJ

A stunning Paul Evans cabinet or credenza adorned in figural burl veneer and mirrored chrome tiles at the back. The cabinet is lifted from the ground on a well proportioned platform ...

Category

Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Burl

Paul Evans 'PE-32' Patchwork Copper Cabinet with Slate Top for Directional, 1968

H 31.75 in W 42 in D 21.75 in

Paul Evans 'PE-32' Patchwork Copper Cabinet with Slate Top for Directional, 1968

By Paul Evans, Directional

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Stunning 'PE-32' copper clad bar cabinet on casters by Paul Evans for Directional, produced in 1968 per original receipt which we have a copy of...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Cabinets

Materials

Brass, Copper, Pewter

Paul Evans Patchwork Copper Sideboard Cabinet with Slate Top and Mirror 1960's

H 31 in W 48 in D 20.5 in

Paul Evans Patchwork Copper Sideboard Cabinet with Slate Top and Mirror 1960's

By Directional, Paul Evans

Located in Troy, MI

Matched credenza and mirror by Paul Evans "Sculptured Metal" collection circa 1968 Model PE-38 two door cabinet on a recessed base Copper brass and pewter patchwork exterior with o...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Cabinets

Materials

Slate, Brass, Copper, Pewter, Steel

Paul Evans Deep Relief Cabinet

H 17.5 in W 48.25 in D 16.5 in

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...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Brutalist Cabinets

Materials

Slate, Steel

Welded and Patinated Steel Wall Cabinet by Paul Evans for Directional

H 36 in W 24.5 in D 12.5 in

Welded and Patinated Steel Wall Cabinet by Paul Evans for Directional

By Paul Evans

Located in Montreal, QC

Polychrome Welded and patinated steel wall cabinet by Paul Evans for Directional. One shelf included inside.

Category

Vintage 1970s American Cabinets

Materials

Steel

Cork and Mirror Wall Cabinet in the Style of Paul Evans 1980s

H 24 in W 72 in D 18 in

Cork and Mirror Wall Cabinet in the Style of Paul Evans 1980s

By Directional, Paul Evans

Located in Camden, ME

This stunning wall cabinet captures the essence of Paul Evans' approach to design with its unique combination of cork and mirror creating an interesting composition of texture and re...

Category

Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Wood, Cork, Lacquer, Mirror

Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze 2-Door Cabinet

H 32 in W 48 in D 21 in

Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze 2-Door Cabinet

By Paul Evans

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Paul Evans sculpted bronze cabinet Incised signature and date Original surface, grain painted interior and shelf.

Category

Vintage 1960s American Cabinets

Materials

Resin

Paul Evans 'Cityscape' Style Chrome Plated Cabinet

H 22 in W 31 in D 17 in

Paul Evans 'Cityscape' Style Chrome Plated Cabinet

By Paul Evans

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Mid-century modern two door cabinet with striped polished and matte chrome top, sides and front. Ample storage, adjustable shelf. Great as sofa side cabinets. (Please confirm item l...

Category

Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Metal, Chrome

More From This Seller

View All

Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio Early and Rare Loop Cabinet in Verdigris Copper

By Paul Evans

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Paul Evans for Paul Evans Studio, ‘Loop’ wall-mounted cabinet, welded copper with applied verdigris patina, steel, brass, painted wood, United States, circa 1968 Made around 1968, t...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Brass, Copper, Steel

Paul Evans for Directional Large-Scaled Wall-Mounted 'PE 122' Bar Cabinet in Sculpted Bronze

By Paul Evans

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Paul Evans, Paul Evans Studio for Directional, largely sized wall-mounted bar cabinet, model 'PE 122' epoxy bronzed resin over laminate, painted wood, United States, 1968 A very ra...

Category

Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Bronze

Studio BBPR for Olivetti ‘Spazio’ Cabinet

By Olivetti, Studio BBPR

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' side table cabinet, metal, plastic, fabric, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, th...

Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Cabinets

Materials

Steel

Paul Evans for Directional Rare 'Cityscape' 'Steel Hinged' Sideboard in Chrome

By Paul Evans, Directional

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Paul Evans, Paul Evans Studio for Directional, 'Cityscape' or 'Steel Hinged' cabinet, mirrored glass, chrome-plated steel, lacquered High Pressure Laminate, United States, 1970s Thi...

Category

Vintage 1970s American Post-Modern Sideboards

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Rare Studio BBPR for Olivetti ‘Spazio’ Sideboard in Green Coated Steel

By Studio BBPR, Olivetti

Located in Waalwijk, NL

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' sideboard, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, hired BBPR to design their New York showroom on Fifth Avenue and to create their first series of office furniture, called Spazio (1959/60). This line included chairs, shelving, cabinet systems, and desks, just like the one shown here. It won the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1962. The cabinet contains compartments with drawers secured on both sides. The top is furnished with dark brown vinyl which adds a sturdy touch the overall industrial appearance. Studio B.B.P.R. was an Italian architectural partnership founded in Milan in 1932 by Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969) who had studied at the Politecnico di Milano. B.B.P.R. was thus an acronym formed from the first letters of their family names. The architects found each other in their opposition to fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s during Mussolini's autocratic regime. The architects therefore believed in developing a style that would have no references to contemporary politics. During the Second World War, they all joined the resistance. However, Rogers, a Jew, fled to Switzerland and both Belgiojoso and Banfi were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where Banfi died in 1945. Despite the immense loss of Banfi, their architectural practice continued in the same name as before after...

Category

Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards

Materials

Steel

André Sornay Large Cabinet in Oregon Pine and Copper

Located in Waalwijk, NL

André Sornay, large cabinet, Oregon pine, copper, France, circa 1934 This large cabinet, designed by André Sornay around 1934, exemplifies his idiosyncratic approach to design. Craf...

Category