Harry Bertoia and Paul Evans
Now on exhibit Cranbrook Museum of Art
With Eyes Opened Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932
Two Masterworks by Harry Bertoia and Paul Evans from the TEI Collection
June 18, 2021 - September 19, 2021
One of a Kind Paul Evans Sculpted Front Cabinet circa 1969
Paul Evans attended Cranbrook in Fall 1952 with a focus on metal-smithing.
While Art Instructor Richard Thomas commented
"Excellent mechanically. Experimental attitude seriously limited. Over confident, decidedly intolerant and selfish. Devious. I would hesitate to recommend him for a situation requiring close cooperation with others."
Evans went on to be considered the father of the modern art furniture movement.
Each of his sculpture front works were custom and took 3 to 6 months, less than 75 examples were made.
“To me the Sculpture Front is the signature piece by Paul Evans. We would go through periods where we would be focused on Sculpture Front. Then we would move to groups of sculpture, other pieces. But we always came back to the Sculpture Front.”
~Dorsey Reading
Thomas quote source: Paul Evans at The Michener Constance Kimmerle Lecture
Paul Evans Laser Etching on Plex and Scale Model from Soirée by Dick Cruger
Rendering by PFFK7 for The Exchange Int
With Eyes Opened: Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932
Surveys the history of the Cranbrook Academy of Art since its official founding in 1932.
Curated by Andrew Brauvelt more than 250 works from 220 plus alumni represent the various programs of study at the school–architecture, ceramics, design, fiber, metals, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture are exhibited occupying all of the museum’s galleries.
Harry Bertoia Bush Form circa 1973
Harry Bertoia emigrated to Detroit at the age of 11 from Italy. After attending Cass Technical High School he was awarded a full scholarship to Cranbrook Academy of Arts in 1937.
She said “Oh, no, you go there, you’ll be happy.”
”So I trusted her completely and it certainly turned out that my stay at Cranbrook actually was so important that I feel it was one of the basic periods of my life where things began to really change and happen.”
Harry Bertoia referencing Miss Greene’s recommendation to Cranbrook
Source: The Life and Work of Harry Bertoia by Celia Bertoia
In conversation with
Harry’s daughter Celia around the rarity of the
only red forging known in
Bertoia’s works
Harry once said something like I'm almost sad to see a flower at its peak, knowing that it will fade in a few days
Archival sketch courtesy of
Harry Bertoia Foundation
Harry Bertoia Laser Etching on Plex and Scale Model from Soirée by Dick Cruger
Rendering by PFFK7 for The Exchange Int
Masterworks by Paul Evans and Harry Bertoia are located in the Main Gallery
Proudly on loan from The Exchange Int and The S. pace Detroit
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Not far from Detroit, America’s only city to be awarded UNESCO’s City of Design, is Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Art Museum. The 319 acre campus was founded in 1904 by Detroit philanthropists George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth. The grounds feature the work of world-renowned architects and sculptors such as Eliel Saarinen, Albert Kahn, Carl Milles, Steven Holl, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Rafael Moneo, Peter Rose, and Marshall Fredericks. Along with Harry Bertoia and Paul Evans other Midcentury Modernism icons included in the exhibit are Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Ruth Adler Schnee, Florence Knoll and Olga de Amaral.
Above: Paul Evans Cabinet Image by The Exchange Int
After a four year research project and as part of the exhibit curated by Andrew Blauvelt, Kathryn Goffnett, and Ian Gabriel Cranbrook Museum of Art published a 624-page limited edition book.
The pages feature 200 artists associated with the Academy, 480 images and an expansive look through the archives.
