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.
H 72 in W 72 in D 18 in
Paul Evans Brutalist Sculpted Bronze Wall-Mounted Dry Bar Cabinet, Model PE-122
By Paul Evans
Located in Miami, FL
Paul Evans Brutalist Sculpted Bronze Wall-Mounted Disc Bar Cabinet, Model PE-122, Directional, 1969 Exceptional sculpted bronze wall-mounted disc bar cabinet, model PE-122, designed...
Resin, Wood
H 72 in Dm 72 in
Paul Evans, 72'' Wall-mounted Sculpted Bronze Disc Bar
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
A dynamic hand-sculpted, wall-mounted cabinet, Paul Evans’ Disc Bar, is arguably one of Evans’ most iconic designs. The sculptural design is monume...
Bronze
H 48 in W 48 in D 14 in
Adrian Pearsall "Sculptura" Brutalist Wall Bar for Craft
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Lynn, MA
Brutalist "Sculptura" wall disc bar by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates. Doors feature sculpted resin over wood. The hinged doors conceal a 24" x 34" cabinet with polished metal ...
Resin
H 48 in W 48 in D 14 in
Monumental Adrian Pearsall Brutalist Wall Mounted Disc Dry Bar, 1970's
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Culver City, CA
Available right now we have this increasingly rare, mid century modern, brutalist disc bar by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates. This brutalist wall mounted disc cabinet is definitely a conversation piece-- stretching a whopping 48" in diameter, this disc dar opens to reveal a mirrored back as well as 2 shelf inserts. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and this entire brutalist line of furniture appears to have (pretty obviously) been inspired by American craft movement designer Paul Evans, who designed nearly identical pieces which were available through Directional Furniture to the trade in the 1960's and 1970's. While this piece doesn't have the pedigree of an original Paul Evans piece, what is does have is an abundance of over-the-top maximalist style with a much more palatable price tag. Without being mounted to the wall, this piece was a little tougher than an average piece to photograph, but for scale purposes we photographed it resting on the floor alongside a Fabricius and Kastholm grasshopper...
Resin, Wood
H 48 in W 48 in D 14 in
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Mid Century Brutalist Disc Cabinet Bar
By Adrian Pearsall, Craft Associates
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates Mid Century Brutalist Disc Cabinet Bar This cabinet bar measures: 48 wide x 14 deep x 48 inches high Great Vintage Condition. We take our phot...
Resin, Wood
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.
Resin
H 78.75 in W 39.38 in D 7.88 in
Wall Liquor Cabinet by Frédérique Domergue, One-of-a-kind, Contemporary
By Frédérique Domergue
Located in PARIS, FR
This unique piece is both a cabinet and a painting. The functional part of the bar cabinet is fully concealed on the side with compartments that open with a push. The top compartment...
Bronze, Zinc
H 23 in W 74 in D 19 in
Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze Wall Hung PE-40 Cabinet
By Paul Evans
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A fine Paul Evans sculpted bronze cabinet. Hand sculpted Resin over wood with an atomized bronze coating. Original Hand- Cleft Slate tops. O...
Bronze
H 62 in W 23 in D 8 in
Leonard Eisen for Pulaski Wall Mounted Bar Cabinet
By Pulaski Furniture Corporation
Located in Hanover, MA
Designed by Leonard Eisen in 1971 for Pulaski Furniture as part of his Contour 70's collection we have repurposed an original sculptural door panel with its organic modernist design ...
Maple, Walnut
H 67.33 in W 38.59 in D 20.08 in
Modern Italian Bar Cabinet "Stella Rossa" in Maple & Brass by Ivan Paradisi
By Ivan Paradisi
Located in Turin, IT
A sculptural statement of contemporary Italian design, the "Stella Rossa" is a modern bar cabinet handcrafted by award-winning designer Ivan Paradisi. This luxury dry bar fuses darin...
Brass
"Le Chevalier" Sculpture by Maxime Adam-Tessier
By Maxime Adam-Tessier
Located in Paris, FR
Darkened patina bronze. Reproduced in "Maxime Adam-Tessier", Editions du Linteau, p. 23.
Bronze
1960s Astrale Sculpture by Emile Gilioli
By Émile Gilioli
Located in Paris, FR
Emile Gilioli (1911 - 1977) ‘‘Astrale’’, 1966 White marble, base in black laquered wood Sculpture : H. 63,5 x 29 x 39 cm / Base : H. 100 x 43 x 42,5 cm At the height of the 20th cen...
Marble
1970s Central Table from the Incas Series by Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Paris, FR
A rare and important central table from the "Aztèques" series. Circa 1978 Angelo Mangiarotti’s work as an architect and industrial designer was led by a belief that carefully res...
Sandstone
1970s Expansion n°55 by César
By César Baldaccini
Located in Paris, FR
César (1921 - 1998) ‘‘Expansion n° 55’’, 1975 Resin, glass wool and acrylic lacquer 108 x 58 x 18 cm Certificate from the Durand-Ruel archives N° 2.198 (César archives) César Baldac...
Foam, Polyester
1970s brutalist desk or console by Albert Féraud
By Albert Feraud
Located in Paris, FR
Little desk or console, composed of folded and entangled metal tubes. Rectangular glass slab.
Metal
"Eccentrico" Table by Angelo Mangiarotti
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Paris, FR
A spectacular cantilevered table with gravity joint made by the famous architect Angelo Mangiarotti. An elegant mix of minimalism and stone textures.
Marble
The mid-20th-century design style is defined by its angular shapes and use of raw materials.
Twentieth-century furniture and decor created by Touret and his collective of French artisans is drawing the attention of galleries and collectors.
