When Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman met and married in Detroit in 1948, they began a seven-decade love affair and creative partnership that would have a major impact on the aesthetic of California mid-century modernism.
At the time, Jerome was a charismatic World War II veteran, Evelyn a young assistant at Luce Lipton Interior Design Studio, where he first spied her folding fabric samples and presented her with a Milky Way bar.
Working out of their studio in Los Angeles, where they moved in 1952 to be part of California’s burgeoning design scene, the two would produce handcrafted case pieces, tapestries and other decorative objects in a variety of media, including ceramics, textiles, carved wood, mosaics and enamel.
The multifaceted pair collaborated with firms and designers such as Victor Gruen; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Paul McCobb; Steve Chase; and Arthur Elrod, an incredibly influential talent whose own clients included Frank and Lucille Capra, Hoagy Carmichael, Claudette Colbert, and more.
The Ackermans’ prolific body of work is distinguished by a hand-wrought sense of warmth and texture; a mix of folk art — like figuration and colorful abstraction; depictions of flowers, animals, children and mythical figures; and a belief in the Bauhaus principles of design. These days, their oeuvre proves very much in demand, and the Ackermans, in the tradition of husband-and-wife creators like the Eameses and Les Lalanne, rank among the most influential design couples in history.
Evelyn considered her Stories from the Bible, comprised of 40 individual cloisonné squares, each depicting a different tale from the Old Testament, to be her most challenging and gratifying piece. She worked on it every day for a year and half, completing the composition — which was acquired by the Smithsonian Museum — in 1985.
Evelyn died in 2012 at age 88, while Jerome, known as Jerry, died in 2019. A testament to the renewed interest in their work, Pointed Leaf Press published Hand-in-Hand, Ceramics, Mosaics, Tapestries, and Woodcarvings by California Mid-Century Designers Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman in 2014, the first book to document the lives and careers of the couple.
Find vintage Evelyn Ackerman wall decorations and other furniture on 1stDibs.
H 9.25 in W 39 in D 1 in
Evelyn Ackerman 'Horsemen' Wood Carved Panel
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Wood carving by California artist, Evelyn Ackerman, c.1964, USA. This plaque features five mounted horsemen. Dimensions 39" width x 1" depth x 9.25" height. Condition Good vintage...
Wood
H 24.5 in W 9 in D 1 in
Evelyn Ackerman Panelcarve Art Flora de Madera Era Industries 1963
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Stafford, TX
Beautiful wood carving in great overall condition as seen. See photos for details. Message with questions.
Walnut
H 95.25 in W 35.25 in D 3 in
Evelyn Ackerman Large Scale Wood Carved Panel for Era Industries
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large scale wood carved panel by California artist, Evelyn Ackerman for Era Industries c.1960s. This carving features various nature themes like the sun, trees, fish, birds and leav...
Wood
H 20.5 in Dm 1.75 in
Carved Redwood Architectural Panel by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman for Panelcarve
By Evelyn & Jerome Ackerman
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
The radiating sun motif reflects the optimism and indoor–outdoor living ideals central to California mid-century architecture. Solar imagery became a defining decorative element in t...
Wood
H 12 in W 36 in D 1 in
Evelyn Ackerman Carved Redwood Panel for Panelcarve, circa 1950s
By Evelyn Ackerman, Panelcarve
Located in Cathedral City, CA
Evelyn Ackerman Carved Redwood Panel for Panelcarve, circa 1950s. Features a bird, ram and frog in typical Ackerman style. Measures 36" wide, 12" high and 1" deep. Stamped "copyrig...
Wood
H 24 in W 9 in D 1 in
Rare Hydastone “Flora de Madera” Panel by Evelyn Ackerman, 1960s
By Evelyn Ackerman
Located in Oceanside, US
A rare Flora de Madera wall panel by renowned California designer Evelyn Ackerman, produced by ERA Industries in the 1960s. This sculptural bas-relief depicts a stylized female figure holding a flower, surrounded by Ackerman’s signature geometric border—an iconic example of mid-century West Coast modernism. What sets this piece apart is its Hydastone construction—a high-strength, gypsum-based casting material used for a limited number of Ackerman’s panels...
Cement, Other
H 77 in W 49.75 in D 1 in
Six Evelyn Ackerman Carved Redwood Panels
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Incredible 1960's six black lacquered carved redwood panels by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman. Each panel is hand carved on a 8.5” by 77” solid redwood. In beautiful vintage conditio...
Wood
H 27.563 in W 23.625 in D 0.5 in
Dali Bronze Bas-Relief Fécondité
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Salvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904-1989.) Fécondité, 1977. Bas relief in silvered bronze. Publishing Year : 1990-1992. Referenced in the catalogue raisonne "Dali Sculptures And ...
Bronze
H 60.44 in W 44.89 in D 2.96 in
Bas-relief panel “Sortez du cadre !” in weathered wood. Contemporary.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Bas-relief panel entitled “Sortez du cadre !”, carved from wood and finished in brown patina, presented in a natural blond oak box frame. Signed on the back. Work by a contemporary ...
Wood
H 9.63 in W 8.63 in D 2.5 in
Wooden Zodiac Scorpio 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...
Wood
Sylvia Weiss Bronze Chicago Modern Dancer Figure on Wood Base
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Hand sculpted bronze dancer sculpture created by listed artist Sylvia Weiss of Chicago, Illinois. Sculpture measures 9.5" by 6" by 3.5" and is signed S. Weiss on the base. In very g...
Bronze
Jack Mason Stone Mountain Georgia Abstract Modern Stoneware Sculpture
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Hand painted and thrown fine stoneware ceramic sculpture created by Jack Mason of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Sculpture measures 18.5" high by 7" wide. Signed ...
Stoneware
1950s Kinetic Modernist Sculpture Machine by Engel
Located in Palm Springs, CA
1950's kinetic art sculpture, possibly created by Jules Engel of Los Angeles and very reminiscent of artworks by Jean Tinguely. Sculpture measures 35" in height by 21" wide by 15" d...
Metal
Jack Mason Stone Mountain Georgia Reptilian Stoneware Sculpture Pitcher
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Stoneware ceramic reptilian pitcher created by Jack Mason of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Pitcher measures 14.5" high by 8" wide. Signed J. Mason Stone Mountain...
Stoneware
Vintage 1960s California Studio Painted Metal Kinetic Mobile Sculpture
Located in Palm Springs, CA
California studio hand made 50's / 60's painted metal kinetic mobile sculpture, creator unknown. Mobile measures 34" by 7" by 5.5" and is in good vintage condition showing signs of ...
Metal
Aldo Londi for Bitossi Vintage Italian Modernist Pair of Blue and Green Horses
By Aldo Londi
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Pair of horse sculptures created by Aldo Londi for Bitossi of Italy. each has great coloration of blue and green glazes within the stamped texture. Large horse measures 6" by 6.5" b...
Ceramic
