A designer and sculptor, Paul Evans was a wild card of late 20th century modernism. A leading light of the American Studio Furniture movement, Evans’s sideboards, credenzas, coffee tables and other work manifests a singular aesthetic sense, as well as a seemingly contradictory appreciation for both folk art forms and for new materials and technologies.
Evans’s primary material was metal, not wood, which was favored by his fellow studio designers, and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighbors George Nakashima and Phillip Lloyd Powell. He trained in metallurgy and studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the famed crucible of modern design and art in suburban Detroit. For a time early in his career, Evans also worked at Sturbridge Village, a historical “living museum” in Massachusetts, where he gave demonstrations as a costumed silversmith.
Evans’s earliest work unites these influences. The pieces that made his reputation are known as “sculpted-front” cabinets: wood cases faced with box-like high-relief patinated steel mounts laid out in a grid pattern. Each mount contains a metal emblem, or glyph, and the effect is that of a brawny quilt.
Evans’s later work falls into three distinct style groups. His sculpted-bronze pieces, begun in the mid-1960s, show Evans at his most expressive. He employed a technique in which resin is hand-shaped, and later sprayed with a metal coating, allowing for artistic nuance in the making of chairs, tables and case pieces. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, Evans produced his Argente series for celebrated manufacturer Directional (a brand known to vintage mid-century modern furniture collectors everywhere): consoles and other furniture forms that feature aluminum and pigment-infused metal surfaces welded into abstract organic forms and patterns.
Last, Evans's Cityscape design series — a milestone in the history of brutalist design — meshed perfectly with the sleek, “high tech” sensibility of the later ’70s. Evans constructed boxy forms and faced them with irregular mosaic patterns that mixed rectangular plaques of chromed steel, bronze or burlwood veneer. These, like all of Paul Evans’s designs, are both useful and eye-catching. But their appeal has another, more visceral quality: these pieces have clearly been touched by an artist’s hand.
Find a collection of authentic Paul Evans furniture today on 1stDibs.
Paul Evans Rare and Early Candlesticks, Set of Three, 1953
By Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Paul Evans Rare and Early Candlesticks, Set of Three, 1953 Sandblasted pewter Each: 20½ h × 3¼ dia in (52 × 8 cm) Provenance: The Artist Collection of Dorsey Reading Exhibited: Paul...
Pewter
Pair of Walnut and Pewter Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell
Located in Toledo, OH
Pair of Walnut and Pewter Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell. circa 1950s. A design from Designer's Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell...
Pewter
Pair of Extremely Rare Early 18th Century Regence Period Candlesticks
Located in Middleburg, VA
Made of gilded brass with intricate incised decoration on delicate molded stems with flanged bases. Comes as a pair. Dated 1717 Ile de France. There is a date of 1717 scratched into ...
Brass
$4,500 / set
H 12.75 in W 3.75 in D 3.5 in
Pair of Ettore Sottsass Silver Candlesticks for Swid Powell and Reed and Barton
By Ettore Sottsass, Swid Powell, Reed & Barton
Located in Kansas City, MO
Striking pair of silver plated candlesticks designed by Ettore Sottsass and made by Swid Powell in collaboration with Reed and Barton, 1980s.
Silver
Paul Evans Attributed Welded Steel Brutalist Candlesticks
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
Stunning pair of large 1970s welded rusted steel brutalist candlesticks attributed to Paul Evans. With some wear and patina due to age and use.
Steel
$8,196 / set
H 10.04 in W 9.06 in D 4.53 in
Elizabeth II Sterling Silver Pair of Candlesticks by S. J. Phillips, 2004
By S.J. Phillips
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 2004 by S. J. Phillips, this exceptional pair of Elizabeth II sterling silver candlesticks are crafted in the classic George III style. Each candlestick featu...
Sterling Silver
$186Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 9.85 in W 9.45 in D 2.76 in
Early-20th Century Set of Three Glass Candlesticks
Located in Opole, PL
Early-20th Century Set of Three Glass Candlesticks We present you three glass candlesticks from the 1st half of the 20th century. They are in incredibly good condition and undamaged.
Glass
$2,000 / set
H 13 in Dm 3.63 in
Pair of Tony Paul for Westwood Chadwick Brass & Walnut Candlesticks, 1950s
By Westwood Chadwick, Tony Paul
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Pair of Tony Paul for Westwood Chadwick Brass & Walnut Candlesticks. Featuring tapered solid Walnut forms, impressed diamond shapes to brass with smooth circular 3.5D bobeche. S...
Brass
Set of Three French Crystal Candlestick by Daum
By Daum
Located in Palm Springs, CA
1970’s set of three French crystal candle holders by Daum. This are hand blown with a triangular shaped bases. They are all signed Daum ...
Crystal
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Pewter Candlesticks by Hans Wicksten
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Pewter Candlesticks by Hans Wicksten An elegant and highly unusual pair of Swedish Gustavian pewter candlesticks, crafted by the noted pewter master Hans W...
Pewter
$699 / set
H 9.06 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in
European Contemporary yellow Sculptural Candlestick Set of Three
By Margit Wittig
Located in London, GB
UK customers please note: displayed prices do not include VAT. Margit Wittig has used her sculptural skills to create beautifully-crafted, well-proportioned contemporary candlestick...
Epoxy Resin
Set of Three Tulip Brass Candlesticks by Pierre Forssell
By Pierre Forssell, Skultuna
Located in San Francisco, CA
A set of three polished brass "Tulip" candlesticks designed by Pierre Forssell for Skultuna, established 1607. Each candlestick bears the Skultuna hallmark with closed royal crown an...
Brass
Newburyport Pewter Candlesticks by Towle, a Pair
By Towle Silversmiths
Located in Chicago, IL
A pair of traditional pewter candlestick holders made by Towle Silversmiths. Sleek flared capitals and graduated round bases. Marked ‘Towle’ underneath. Each measures 3.75" tall x ...
Pewter
Pair of Swid Powell Silver Plate Postmodern Candlesticks
By Swid Powell
Located in Dallas, TX
Elegant pair of postmodern silver-plated candlesticks by Swid Powell, circa 1980s. Featuring a refined architectural form with cylindrical stems, wide drip pans, and weighted circula...
Silver Plate
Paul Evans Walnut and Brass Hanukkah Menorah
By Paul Evans
Located in San Diego, CA
Paul Evans Hanukkah Menorah crafted from walnut with brass candleholders. This is an early work by Paul Evans, dating from 1955. His line of menorahs are Illustrated in Paul Evans...
Brass
Paul Evans Hanukkah Menorah, "The Simon" for Raymor, 1955
By Paul Evans
Located in Downingtown, PA
Paul Evans Hanukkah Menorah, "The Simon" For Raymor, 1955. (NY85930-cpn) The menorah is made from walnut with brass candleholders. Paul Evan's ...
Walnut
Paul Evans Hanukkah Menorah for Raymor, 1955
By Paul Evans
Located in Downingtown, PA
Paul Evans Hanukkah Menorah, For Raymor, 1955. The menorah is made from walnut with brass candleholders. Paul Evan's menorahs were never marked....
Walnut
Pair of Early Candlestick by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Atlanta, GA
A design from Designers Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the 1950s where they had their studios and joined showroom in New Hope, PA. The pai...
Pewter
Pair of Early Candlesticks by Paul Evans and Phillip Powell
By Phillip Lloyd Powell, Paul Evans
Located in Atlanta, GA
A design from Designers Inc, an early collaboration between Paul Evans and Phillip Lloyd Powell in the 1950s where they had their studios and joined showroom in New Hope, PA. The pai...
Pewter
Sold
H 9.75 in W 3 in D 3 in
Handsome Signed Paul Evans Brutalist Candlestick Holder Mid-Century Modern
By Paul Evans
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Handsome signed Paul Evans Brutalist candlestick. Takes a large base candle-perfect gift for the person who has everything! Please ch...
Brass
Sold
H 19.75 in W 9.75 in
A Set of Five Welded-Steel Candlesticks by Paul Evans Studio, USA, ca. 1960s
By Paul Evans
Located in New York, NY
This rare set of five welded-steel candlesticks are an example of Evans' early studio work and most closely relate to the technique that he used on the Forged-Front consoles in th...
Steel