Who of us hasn’t at some point in our life suddenly stopped and gazed transfixed into a shop window, or at a museum or art gallery as we came face to face with some form of an artist’s vision and genius? Sometimes the impact of such a moment in time can be so profound that we will forever remember the circumstances of when we first saw “it” – the time, the place, what we were wearing, etc. One of life’s special moments forever etched in our consciousness. It is at this exalted level that even furniture (whether softgoods, tables or chairs) leaves the mundane world of “four legs and a top” and enters the greater galaxy of sculptural design.

Afterall “sculpture” is basically defined as the fine art of forming figures or designs by cutting marble, granite, etc. by fashioning plastic materials, by modeling in clay or by making molds for casting in bronze or other metal. Really then sculptural forms can take any shape and can be in any material; they become “art” when we instinctively recognize them as a cut above what we are used to seeing and created by man’s natural desire to rise above the commonplace and hopefully rub up against Divine inspiration.

Being a furniture designer and manufacturer myself I fully understand the challenges and pitfalls that lie in the path of coming up with a form that will be a raging success and hopefully standout among all the other past and existing designs competing for a place of honor in someone’s home or office. And if it goes on to influence a whole new generation of designers then who could ask for anything more? Imagine then my admiration and respect for visionaries such as Noguchi and Vladimir Kagan whose influence on design in the second half of the 20th century right up to the present has been incalculable.

Kagan’s sculptural forms in seating such as the “Tulip” and the “Caterpillar” chairs and his “Serpentine” sofa are deeply imbedded in our psyche as is the ubiquitous Noguchi table base (even though we may not be aware of it) and have gone on to influence countless other designs we see today. If you aren’t familiar with Mr. Kagan’s work, then you owe it to yourself to check it out and get ready to be thrilled when you realize how much of his sculpture has been a part of our culture and truly does qualify as art.

Personally I have experimented with any number of materials to create sculptural forms.
In seating I once showcased a sectional sofa called “The Wave” which undulated like a wave along the back cushion and was extremely sculptural in form on the outside back which made it ideal to “float” in a room. I then covered it with a fabric that had swirls of handpainted silk sewn into the ground. It never did achieve the great success of a Vladimir Kagan “Serpentine” – but it sure did create some waves while it was featured in my showroom.

Also included in my sculptural forms have been a series of table bases and a console table actually poured into a mold taking the form of a crouching figure with a bit of an Egyptian influence as well as table bases in various natural stone carved and chiseled much as a sculptor would.

I have found that tables made of steel and acrylic are excellent candidates for a sculptural form as both materials lend themselves naturally to being molded and formed into beautiful and fluid shapes. Acrylic, by the way, so popular in design in the 70’s and 80’s is now making a return to the scene and is currently sought after by “those in the know” -proof as they say that everything old is new again!