Paul R. Evans
Encyclopedia
Paul R. Evans II was an American
born residential furniture designer, sculptor, and artist
, who is famous for his contributions to American
furniture design and the American craft
Movement of the 1970s
, and with his work with the influential American manufacturer Directional Furniture. His creation of metal sculpted furniture set him apart. He studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and later settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania
, working with mentor Phillip Lloyd Powell, who studied under George Nakashima
.
. He studied at several institutions including the Philadelphia Textile Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(1950), Rochester Institute of Technology
, School for American Craftsmen, Rochester, New York
(1950), and Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
(1952).
Evans began, in the 1950s making copper chests and followed with sculpted steel-front cabinets. Evans had a two-man show in 1961 at America House, an exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York (now named the Museum of Arts & Design). In 1964, Evans became the designer for furniture manufacturer Directional Furniture. With Directional Furniture, Paul Evans introduced several series of furniture lines; such as Argente series, Sculpted Bronze series, and the popular Cityscape series.
Evans pieces were almost always signed, and all of the custom items have a signature and a date. Paul Evans' combination of handcraft and technology anticipated the limited edition art furniture of today. The artist's relationship with Directional Furniture set a unique standard for creative manufacture by insisting every piece is made by hand, finished by hand, supervised by the artist at each step of production, one piece at a time.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
born residential furniture designer, sculptor, and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, who is famous for his contributions to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
furniture design and the American craft
American craft
American craft is an entity of the American contribution to the family of artistic practices conducted by independent studio artists. In this case Studio Craft artists work specifically with traditional craft materials and/or processes such as wood, woodworking or furniture making, glass or...
Movement of the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, and with his work with the influential American manufacturer Directional Furniture. His creation of metal sculpted furniture set him apart. He studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and later settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
, working with mentor Phillip Lloyd Powell, who studied under George Nakashima
George Nakashima
George Katsutoshi NakashimaGeorge Katsutoshi NakashimaGeorge Katsutoshi Nakashima( was a Japanese-American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement...
.
Biography
Paul Evans was born Newtown, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaNewtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township, from which...
. He studied at several institutions including the Philadelphia Textile Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
(1950), Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
, School for American Craftsmen, Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
(1950), and Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
(1952).
Evans began, in the 1950s making copper chests and followed with sculpted steel-front cabinets. Evans had a two-man show in 1961 at America House, an exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York (now named the Museum of Arts & Design). In 1964, Evans became the designer for furniture manufacturer Directional Furniture. With Directional Furniture, Paul Evans introduced several series of furniture lines; such as Argente series, Sculpted Bronze series, and the popular Cityscape series.
Evans pieces were almost always signed, and all of the custom items have a signature and a date. Paul Evans' combination of handcraft and technology anticipated the limited edition art furniture of today. The artist's relationship with Directional Furniture set a unique standard for creative manufacture by insisting every piece is made by hand, finished by hand, supervised by the artist at each step of production, one piece at a time.