Chairs, table in foreground, sofa and wood paneling/sidingby W. Esherick.
I enjoyed learning that he discouraged his clients from buying his pieces as investments and told them that they should appreciate them for their intrinsic merit and usefulness. The chair shown in the the picture above, his music stand and small ladder are my favorites. He was a pioneer in what is now called the Studio Craft Movement. Never mass produced, his rare pieces are highly desired by discriminating collectors....surely because they are rare, novel and have so much intrinsic merit.
Wharton was one of the few woodworkers of the era to command high prices for his original work. The high prices and name attribution mark departures from craft values yet he still enjoyed the title “dean of American craftsmen”.
His collaboration with architect Louis Kahn on his studio is a must see for modernists.
With such a great body of work, we are all truly #standingontheshouldersofgiants!
Wharton Esherick at his studio in Pennsylvania