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Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

American, 1931-1987

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.

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Creator: Paul Evans
Paul Evans 'Cityscape' Patchwork Burl and Chrome Executive Desk, 1970s, Signed
Paul Evans 'Cityscape' Patchwork Burl and Chrome Executive Desk, 1970s, Signed

Paul Evans 'Cityscape' Patchwork Burl and Chrome Executive Desk, 1970s, Signed

By Directional, Paul Evans

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A striking and highly collectible patchwork burl executive desk designed by Paul Evans for Directional, circa 1970s. This iconic example showcases Evans’ signature studio-crafted aes...

Category

1970s American Modern Vintage Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Paul Evans Brutalist Skyline Dining Table
Paul Evans Brutalist Skyline Dining Table

Paul Evans Brutalist Skyline Dining Table

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Paul Evans brutalist "Skyline" sculpted bronze resin dining table with 48" x 96" x 3/4" thick glass top. Signed PE70 Only base is 65" x 27".

Category

1970s American Brutalist Vintage Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Burl Cityscape Executive Desk By Paul Evans
Burl Cityscape Executive Desk By Paul Evans

Burl Cityscape Executive Desk By Paul Evans

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A period Paul Evans Desk in Cityscape Burl wood. In rather remarkable original condition minus some minor wear and tear that can easily be fixed. Please request additional photos a...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Modernist Patchwork Burl Executive Desk By Paul Evans Cityscape For Directional
Modernist Patchwork Burl Executive Desk By Paul Evans Cityscape For Directional

Modernist Patchwork Burl Executive Desk By Paul Evans Cityscape For Directional

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This impressive modernist executive desk, model number PE 400, designed by Paul Evans circa 1975, showcases the brilliant burl wood patchwork design of the designers last series City...

Category

Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

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Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Executive Desk
Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Executive Desk

Paul Evans Cityscape Patchwork Burlwood Executive Desk

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Located in Toledo, OH

Beautiful mid-century Cityscape executive desk by Paul Evans in a patchwork burlwood design with two drawers on each side of the satin chrome pillared supports. No modesty panel. 84"...

Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paul Evans Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

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Paul Evans desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Paul Evans desks and writing tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Paul Evans desks and writing tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desks and writing tables by Paul Evans were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider desks and writing tables by Frank Lloyd Wright, Warren Platner, and Milo Baughman. Prices for Paul Evans desks and writing tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $15,000 and can go as high as $55,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $22,500.