The design of brutalist furniture encompasses that which is crafted, hewn and worked by hand — an aesthetic rebuke (or, at least, a counterpoint) to furniture that is created using 21st-century materials and technology. Lately, the word “brutalist” has been adopted by the realms of furniture design and the decorative arts to refer to chairs, cabinets, tables and accessory pieces such as mirror frames and lighting that are made of rougher, deeply textured metals and other materials that are the visual and palpable antithesis of the sleek, smooth and suave.
ORIGINS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGN
BRUTALIST FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
VINTAGE BRUTALIST FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The term brutalism — which derives from the French word brut, meaning “raw” — was coined by architecture critic Reyner Banham to describe an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring monumental buildings, usually made of unornamented concrete, whose design was meant to project an air of strength and solidity.
Le Corbusier essentially created the brutalist style; its best-known iterations in the United States are the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was designed by Marcel Breuer, and Paul Rudolph's Yale Art and Architecture Building. The severe style might have been the most criticized architectural movement of the 20th century, even if it was an honest attempt to celebrate the beauty of raw material. But while the brutalist government buildings in Washington, D.C., seemingly bask in their un-beauty, brutalist interior design and decor is much more lyrical, at times taking on a whimsical, romantic quality that its exterior counterparts lack.
Paul Evans is Exhibit A for brutalist furniture design. His Sculpture Front cabinets laced with high-relief patinated steel mounts have become collector's items nonpareil, while the chairs, coffee table and dining table in his later Cityscape series and Sculpted Bronze series for Directional Furniture are perhaps the most expressive, attention-grabbing pieces in American modern design. Other exemplary brutalist designers are Silas Seandel, the idiosyncratic New York furniture designer and sculptor whose works in metal — in particular his tables — have a kind of brawny lyricism, and Curtis Jere, a nom-de-trade for the California team of Curtis Freiler and Jerry Fels, the bold makers of expressive scorched and sheared copper and brass mirror frames and wall-mounted sculptures.
Brutalist furniture and sculptures remain popular with interior designers and can lend unique, eccentric, human notes to an art and design collection in any home.
Find authentic vintage brutalist chairs, coffee tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Wooden Zodiac Taurus Bull Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Plywood
Large Ceramic Wall Plaques Set, Modernist Brutalist Style, 1970s
Located in Hannover, DE
3 large ceramic wall plaques. Made in Germany in the 1970s. These pieces were handmade and only produced in very limited numbers. The plaques showcase a modernist brutalist style. Th...
Ceramic
Norman Conn Construction #2 Mixed Media Sculpture, Brutalist, Signed, Circa 1961
By Norman Conn, Zbyněk Sekal 1, Louise Nevelson
Located in New Windsor, NY
Wonderful mixed media entitled, Construction #2 by Norman Conn (1932-2003), circa 1961. Signed verso with D'Arcy Gallery, NYC label. Very good condition. Perfectly weathered and mast...
Metal
Giovanni 'John’ Bucci Metal Art Sculpture, 1960s
Located in Savannah, GA
Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A welded metal sculpture composed of various found metal pieces, 1960s. 30 inches wide by 11 ½ inches tall by 3 ¼ inches deep
Metal
Vintage Signed Brutalist Abstract Oil Painting on Faux Ostrich Canvas, 1970s
Located in Delray Beach, FL
An exceptional vintage signed Brutalist abstract painting executed in a rich metallic palette of bronze, copper, black, and burnt orange. Thick impasto, layered textures, and express...
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
An OP-ART BRUTALIST PRIMITIVIST Wood Panel by BENOIT COURBOIN France 1990-2000
Located in PARIS, FR
A rectangular relief work, wall sculpture , Abstraction, Brutalist, Primitivist, Tribal, Systematic composition of mounted wood bark, forming a very graphic, even kinetic, rhythmic m...
Wood
Set of 4 Brutalist Satin Black Reclaimed Wood Collage Tiles by Peter Glassford
Located in San Antonio, TX
A sculptural Satin Black collage tile set, part of the Brutal Nature collection by Peter Glassford, handcrafted from reclaimed wood fragments and assembled into a richly textured, on...
Wood
Set of 8 Brutalist Matte Black Reclaimed Wood Collage Tiles by Peter Glassford
Located in San Antonio, TX
A sculptural Matte Black collage tile set, part of the Brutal Nature collection by Peter Glassford, handcrafted from reclaimed wood fragments and assembled into a richly textured, on...
Wood
Vintage Brutalist Wall Sculpture by Peter Pepper Products
Located in Oakland, CA
Patinated bronze metal brutalist wall sculpture made by Peter Pepper Products of California and designed by artist Gay Ortma circa 1970s. The imagery is similar to the rays of the s...
Metal
Unique Danish Brutalist Ceramic Wall Decor Abstract Art by Trans, Large, 1970s
By Axel Salto, Saxbo, Sejer Denmark, Noomi Backhausen
Located in Silkeborg, Silkeborg
Unique large ceramic wall decor in brutalist style. Made ca. 1970s. The wall platter is made from stoneware and has en abstract and very structured decor with petrol blue, beige, br...
Ceramic
Vintage German Brass Wall Plate with Tree Design from Harjes, 1970s
Located in Hamburg, DE
Vintage German Brass Wall Plate with Tree Design from Harjes, 1970s, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1970 to 197 official proof of authenticity such as vintage catalogs, designer r...
Metal
Wooden Zodiac Capricorn Wall Plaque Relief Brutalist Midcentury, German, 1970s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Beautiful wooden wall plaque relief sign, made in the Brutalist style in Germany in the 1970s. This is a wonderful Zodiac sign. This can be used as a Wall decoration or as a decorati...
Plywood
"L'Église" ("The Church") Nail Relief by Tihomir Savić "Tica", Yugoslavia, 1962
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a striking mixed-media relief titled L'Église (The Church), created by the Yugoslav artist Tihomir Savić "Tica" in 1962. Executed on a black-painted woo...
Iron
$8,398Sale Price|35% Off
Brutalist Bookshelf in Solid Black Oak - Galea Bibliothèque by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
This is a showroom model of the Galea Bibliothèque in solid European oak, stained in black. The price includes a custom wooden crate for international shipping. The Galea Bibliothè...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Wall Warrior w. Nose & Earrings in Re-purposed Brass
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A one of a kind chain-suspended warrior wall head in brass. It made entirely from re-purposed/recycled parts. It features spiraling 'spring-hair', acid-cut e...
Brass
Ron Schmidt Steel and Brass Fish Wall Sculpture, 1970s
By Ron Schmidt
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage nail wall sculpture features a triangular brutalist design of a fish surrounded by fanned out pattern of individual spikes. The sculpture is equipped with a round hanger and...
Brass, Steel
An OP-ART BRUTALIST PRIMITIVIST Wood Panel by BENOIT COURBOIN France 1990-2000
Located in PARIS, FR
An authentic relief work, wall sculpture with a circle in a square, Abstraction, Brutalist, Primitivist, Tribal, circular composition of dried wood twigs forming an optical movement ...
Metal
Vintage Brutalist Wood Wall Sculpture Assemblage #III
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Brutalist Wood Wall Sculpture Assemblage #III Offered for sale is one in a series of 3 vintage wall sculpture wood assemblages. They are r...
Wood, Plywood, Paint
Brutalist Starburst Metal Sculpture Att. to Jere
By Curtis Jeré
Located in New York, NY
Spectacular Brutalist starburst wall hanging sculpture attributed to Curtis Jere, unsigned. This example is unusual in that it has a dimensional...
Steel
Beautiful Lobster Wall Sculpture Plaque Sign Brutalist Vintage, German, 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A large metal copper wall plaque showing a lobster animal. Made of treated copper with a nice patina. Typically made in Germany in the 1960s, as a statement piece on your wall hangin...
Metal
Norman Conn '1932-2003' 1961 Mixed-Media Construction #5
By Louise Nevelson, Zbyněk Sekal 1, Norman Conn
Located in New Windsor, NY
Wonderful mixed-media by Norman Conn (1932-2003), circa 1961. Signed verso and bearing a D'Arcy Gallery, NYC label. Very good condition. Perfectly weathered and masterfully assembled...
Metal
Colbert Collins 1986 Male and Female Dancers Brutalist Wall Sculptures 2 Pc Set
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Please message us with your zip code to request a more reasonable domestic U.S. shipping quote. Vintage Colbert Collins 1986 Male and Female Dancers Brutalist Wall Sculptures - 2 Pc...
Steel
Brutalist Solid Oak Bibliothèque - Brut by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Brut collection takes cues from Brutalism and Amsterdam School architecture. A balance of raw materiality and subdued forms with geometrically expressive detailing. Designed b...
Oak, Walnut
Czech Brutalist / Atelier Metal Work, 1970s - 80s.
Located in Wien, AT
Expressive handcrafted copper wall sculpture featuring a stylized horned figure with a rich naturally aged surface and verdigris patina. Constructed from hand-hammered and assembled ...
Metal, Copper
Shelving, Brut Bibliothèque, Solid Natural Light Oak, Brut by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Brut collection takes cues from Brutalism and Amsterdam School architecture. A balance of raw materiality and subdued forms with geometrically expressive detailing. Designed b...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Wall Sculpture, Mixed Metals by B. Walters Schreiber After Paul Evans
By Paul Evans
Located in Buffalo, NY
Brutalist wall sculpture, mixed metals by B. Walters Schreiber after Paul Evans. Wonderful wall hanging, hand executed, great example of classic Brutalist design.
Metal, Copper, Bronze
Curtis Jeré Brutalist Wall Sculpture with Beer Motifs for Artisan House, 2003
Located in Lisboa, PT
This wall sculpture was designed by Curtis Jere and produced for Artisan House, in USA, in 2000. It is made of brass, iron and copper and has beer motifs, like bottles and glasses. ...
Brass, Copper, Iron
Brutalist Wall Mount Sculpture with Polychrome Torch Cut Elements att. to Jere
By Curtis Jeré
Located in New York, NY
Attractive Brutalist wall mounted sculpture, attributed to Curtis Jere circa 1970's. The sculpture features repeating copper, and bronze colored organic form shapes, mounted on a ...
Copper, Steel
$900Sale Price|25% Off
Brutalist Brass Wall Sculpture in Leaves Form
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1960. We offer this Brutalist brass wall sculpture in leaves form, signed by EBANO.
Brass
Giovanni 'John’ Bucci Metal Art Sculpture, 1960s
Located in Savannah, GA
Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A welded metal sculpture composed of various found metal pieces, 1960s. 20 inches wide by 30 ½ inches tall by 1 ½ inches deep
Metal
$4,090Sale Price|20% Off
Sculptural Artwork "Architecture of my Dream" , Wabi Sabi by Spinzi
By Spinzi
Located in Milano, IT
Wall-Mounted Artwork - Decorative Panel - Architectural Artwork - Contemporary Concrete Sculpture Contemporary artwork By Spinzi , mad...
Cement
Monumental Solid Oak Bookcase Shelf - Brut Bibliothèque by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Brut collection takes cues from Brutalism and Amsterdam School architecture. A balance of raw materiality and subdued forms with geometrically expressive detailing. Designed b...
Oak, Walnut
XX Century Italian Brutalist Illuminating Wall Art By Angelo Brotto
Located in Westport, CT
Modern and sculptural large blown icy clear & amber colored glass panel attached to a rectangular shaped matte nickel on brass frame. Originally the chrome back was electrified with...
Blown Glass
Paul Rotterdam Viennese Brutalist Abstract Painting, 1964
By (after) Gustav Klimt
Located in New Windsor, NY
Large Brutalist Period mixed media abstract painting on masonite by Paul Rotterdam. Fully signed, dated and titled on the reverse. Made in Vienna, Austria and dated 1964. Rotterdam's...
Wood, Masonite, Paint
Copper Relief Artwork Female Portraits, Congo (1981)
Located in Antwerp, BE
Copper Relief Artwork – Female Portraits, Congo (1981) A striking and original African copper relief artwork from 1981, handcrafted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The piece fe...
Copper
Giovanni 'John’ Bucci Metal Art Sculpture, 1960s
Located in Savannah, GA
Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A welded metal sculpture composed of various found metal pieces, 1960s. 12 inches wide by 23 ¼ inches tall by 1 inch deep
Metal
$1,292Sale Price|20% Off
A glazed lava tile from 1970s - France
By Roger Capron
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A glazed lava tile, an emblematic piece of French craftsmanship from the 1970s, renowned for its quality and distinctive aesthetics. This robust material, combined with sophisticate...
Lava, Enamel
Brutalist Solid Oak Bibliothèque - Brut by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Brut collection takes cues from Brutalism and Amsterdam School architecture. A balance of raw materiality and subdued forms with geometrically expressive detailing. Designed b...
Oak, Walnut
Vintage Brutalist Wood Wall Sculpture Assemblage #II
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Brutalist Wood Wall Sculpture Assemblage #II Offered for sale is one in a series of 3 vintage wall sculpture wood assemblages. They are ru...
Wood, Plywood, Paint
Modernist Bookshelf in Oak - Galea Bibliothèque by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Galea Bibliothèque is influenced by modernist and brutalist architecture. Combining raw materiality with subdued forms. A mysterious geometric rhythm is created by the shadows ca...
Oak, Walnut
Brutalist Bibliothèque - Galea by Mokko
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Galea Bibliothèque is influenced by modernist and brutalist architecture. Combining raw materiality with subdued forms. A mysterious geometric rhythm is created by the shadows ca...
Oak, Walnut
Odd Resin Wall Mount Bull
Located in New York, NY
Hand Made Wall Mount Resin Bull. One of a kind, unique item. Expressionist Brutalist School Sculpture. One horn has been repaired.
Resin
Volcanic Rift Ceramic Wall Art, Black Crackle Texture Wall Sculpture
Located in Istanbul, TR
Volcanic Rift – Ceramic Wall Sculpture Inspired by the raw energy of cooling lava, Volcanic Rift captures the moment when the earth fractures and reveals its inner texture. The deep...
Stoneware
Paris and La Seine Oil Painting, Brutalist Style, French, Circa 1960
Located in COLMAR, FR
A beautiful vintage oil painting on stretched canvas, sourced in France and presumably dating from around 1960. The work is titled “La Seine et Paris” and marked on the back with the artist’s name CAVAL along with what looks to be an exhibition number (see photos). Depicting Paris in a striking and atmospheric brutalist style, it is masterfully executed with brush and palette knife, the latter creating bold, assertive strokes and a richly textured surface. The composition harmoniously balances soft, luminous pastel tones with strong, darker architectural lines, resulting in a painting that is both elegant and powerful. Decorative, distinctive, and full of character, it beautifully captures mid-century artistic sensibilities—a painting of Paris...
Canvas, Paint
Abstract Ceramic Wall Relief Sculpture, Grey-Green Glaze, 1977
Located in London, GB
Expressive abstract relief sculpted in rough clay and glazed with copper oxides in matt grey-green. It is a dynamic wall decoration, signed H77.
Ceramic
"Yampolsky en Danghú" — Lava stone Triptych, framed in oak.
Located in Guadalajara, MX
Part of the "On Monumentality" series, this triptych reimagines a photograph taken by American-born Mexican photographer Mariana Yampolsky, in the town of Danghú, state of Hidalgo. T...
Stone, Lava
Molecular Abstract Expressionist Abstract Painting
Located in New Windsor, NY
Molecular abstract brutalist period painting. the artist has produced a nicely layered thick build up impasto and textured paint technique. Resembling a crusty, rocky paint surface. ...
Canvas, Wood, Paint
A RUSTIC MODERN BRUTALIST PRIMITIVIST Animalist OWL Wall Sculpture France 1970
Located in PARIS, FR
One (of a pair) sculpture or wall hanging representing a stylized owl, Handcrafted, Brutalist, Tribal, Modern Rustic, Hippie, Seventies, composed of braided rope(s) of varying thickn...
Rope, Wood
$2,026Sale Price|30% Off
Large 1980's Marc Creates Brutalist Torch Cut Metal Nail Tree Sculpture
By Marc Weinstein, Bijan, Marc Creates, Curtis Jeré
Located in Chattanooga, TN
A monumental testament to mid-century Brutalism, this wall sculpture—designed by Marc Weinstein for Marc Creates in the 1970s—reimagines nature through industrial form. Its structure...
Metal
Abstract Mixed Media Painting by Michael Costantini
Located in Fulton, CA
Large-Scale mixed media abstract painting by Michael Costantini. Titled "Confluence of Architecture". Signed and dated 2015 Verso. Original wood frame.
Canvas, Paint
Mid Century Owl Joseph Demarais Lithograph Etching
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
Original Joseph Demarais Artist Proof Etching. Signed low number. Artwork is framed in a nicely complimenting walnut frame and depicts a period owl in neutral tones. Brutalist vibes....
Paper
Adlin 1971 Smaller Art Studio Wall Mirror in Oxidized Cast Aluminium & Mercury
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Adlin molded Aluminium, Art Glass, Oxidized Mercury Wall Relief Mirror. Featuring handcrafted, textural sculpted cast aluminium, blackened details, round inserted mercury reflector. ...
Aluminum
Giovanni 'John’ Bucci Metal Art Sculpture, 1960s
Located in Savannah, GA
Giovanni 'John' Bucci (Italian-American, 1935-2019) A welded metal sculpture composed of various found metal pieces, 1960s. 26 ¼ inches wide by 8 ¾ inches tall by 2 ¾ inches deep
Metal
Sculptural Solid Oak Wooden Galea Bibliothèque Wall Cabinet Shelves
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Galea Bibliothèque is influenced by modernist and brutalist architecture. Combining raw materiality with subdued forms. A mysterious geometric rhythm is created by the shadows ca...
Oak, Walnut
Vintage 1960s Metal Brutalist Wall Sculpture Art Copper Brass Style Curtis Jere
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Vintage Brutalist 1960s mixed metals, Copper & Brass patchwork wall art sculpture. Comes ready to hang. Dimensions: 28 H x 62 L x 5 D. In the style of Curtis Jere.
Brass, Copper
Abstract Expressionist Painting "Coming Upon The Certainty" By Frederick Terna
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This large scale Abstract Expressionist painting is entitled "Coming Upon The Certainty" by Austrian-born, Brooklyn artist Frederick Terna. The canvas ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Signed and Numbered Framed Brutalist Print by Moshe Tamir
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Signed and numbered framed brutalist print by Moshe Tamir. Numbered 9/12 and signed "M. Tamir" lower right. Beautifully framed. Moshe Tamir (Hebr...
Silver Leaf
Holography Wall Sculpture, Modern, Industrial Art - "Examined Life 6"
By Karen Brown
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
EXAMINED LIFE 6 is part of a series of wall sculptures made of cast plaster combined with holography. This sculpture was cast in a hard hydrocal plaster which includes casts of machi...
Plaster
Holography Wall Sculpture, Modern, Industrial Art - "Examined Life 1"
By Karen Brown
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
EXAMINED LIFE 1 is part of a series of wall sculptures made of cast plaster combined with holography. This sculpture was cast in a hard hydrocal plaster which includes casts of machi...
Plaster
Holography Wall Sculpture, Modern, Industrial Art - "Examined Life 4"
By Karen Brown
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
EXAMINED LIFE 4 is part of a series of wall sculptures made of cast plaster combined with holography. This sculpture was cast in a hard hydrocal plaster which includes casts of machi...
Plaster