Zhipeng Tan creates provocative furniture with metal alloys that merges abstraction and Pop art with forms inspired by the natural world. The contemporary Chinese designer’s chairs and stools are topped with seats that mimic the shapes of flower petals, while the graceful legs of his audacious polished brass side tables and dining tables resemble molten gold.
Tan graduated from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou with a degree in industrial design. Enamored with the organic silhouettes that populate the great outdoors, he grew increasingly interested in sculpture and drew on natural forms in his work, with molded brass as his vehicle for expression. Tan employs the ancient technique of lost-wax casting, which sees metal objects and furnishings cast from wax models. He then trims, welds and polishes the parts to craft tables and seating that are distinctive and unconventional works of art-furniture that are wholly sculptural but serve a functional purpose in one’s living room. In 2015, Tan cofounded the Shanghai-based Mán-Mán Studio with Daishi Luo, a furniture designer and sculptor who studied metal art at Huafan University in Taiwan.
Tan is known for his brass 33 Step chair, which draws heavily on the human anatomy and is named for the 33 vertebrae found in the human spine. Many of his console and coffee tables appear as though the metal table top has reverted to its molten state, with a range of droplet-shaped brass forms at each corner serving as table legs, while smaller elements are “suspended” inches above the floor along the table's underside, creating a striking visual effect.
Many have suggested that Tan’s influences include English sculptor Henry Moore, Catalan artist Joan Miró and Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami. Notable firms such as Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Ingrao Inc. and David Scott Interiors have purchased his semi-abstract creations, and Tan’s work can be found in the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art, the HE Art Museum and the Centre Pompidou.
Find Zhipeng Tan furniture on 1stDibs.
$9,000 / item
H 19.69 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
"Hide and Seek" Figurative Table Lamp Polished Brass by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lovely table lamp is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. Since graduating with an industria...
Brass
$60,000 / item
H 74.81 in W 51.19 in D 27.56 in
"Astronomers" Figurative Floor Lamp Polished Brass Gold by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lovely floor lamp is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. Since graduating with an Industria...
Brass
Christopher Prinz “Wrinkled Table Lamp” in Brass Finish
By Christopher Prinz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Wrinkled steel table lamp by Omaha-based designer Christopher Prinz, who achieves this unusual texture by repeatedly creasing a thin sheet of steel, resulting in a strong, rigid, and...
Steel
Christopher Prinz “Wrinkled Table Lamp” in Brass Finish
By Christopher Prinz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Wrinkled steel table lamp by Omaha-based designer Christopher Prinz, who achieves this unusual texture by repeatedly creasing a thin sheet of steel, resulting in a strong, rigid, and...
Steel
$4,707 / item
H 17.72 in W 15.75 in D 9.85 in
Freevolle Lady Table Lamp by Sabrina Landini, Brass, Gold Shade, Handmade Italy
By Sabrina Landini
Located in Pietrasanta, IT
FREEVOLLE Twist and go! The Freevolle Lady lamp captures a quiet elegance, with its refined curves, delicate and airy silhouette, it moves with grace—strik...
Brass
$1,012 / item
H 17.13 in W 5.91 in D 11.82 in
Gold-Coloured Table Lamp in Aluminium, Contemporary Work.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gold-coloured table lamp in aluminium, contemporary work. This gold-coloured table lamp is inspired by Japan. The table lamp is made from oxidised metal, plated and brushed by hand....
Aluminum
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 31 in W 9.5 in D 6 in
1960's Art Deco Style Table Lamp, Gold-Plated Ceramic, Brass and Wood Base
Located in North Miami, FL
This dramatic yet pensive studied woman figure vintage table or desk lamp has an Art Deco inspired look and is very sculptural. It has a modern look now and makes a great table or de...
Brass, Gold Plate
Brass Meia Lua Table Lamp by Studio Orth
Located in Geneve, CH
Brass Meia Lua Table Lamp by Studio Orth Dimensions: W 28 x D 18 x H 40 cm Materials: Cast metal. Finishes: Polished Cast Brass or Polished Cast Aluminum All our lamps can be wired...
Metal
$2,741
H 19.3 in Dm 13.78 in
Philippe Jean Signed Brass Bird Table Lamp, Limited Edition 178/300, 1980
By Philippe Jean
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
A sculptural 1980 table lamp by Philippe Jean, featuring a polished brass abstract bird mounted on a travertine pedestal base. Signed and numbered 178/300. The design centers on a h...
Travertine, Brass
Monolith Buffed Brass Sculpted Table Lamp by Paul Matter
By Paul Matter
Located in Geneve, CH
Monolith buffed brass sculpted table lamp by Paul Matter Dimensions: H 419 mm x D 203.2 mm Weight: 3 Kgs Lamping: 1 type E14 base, 3W - 5W led, warm white CE certified, voltage 2...
Brass
"Astronomers" Figurative Floor Lamp Polished Brass Gold by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lovely floor lamp is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. Since graduating with an Industria...
Brass
Echo Bench Polished Brass by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This visceral and sculptural chair is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. We ship internationally. ...
Brass
Saguaro No.1 Floor Lamp Polished Brass Gold by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lovely floor lamp is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. Since graduating with an Industrial...
Brass
Saguaro No.2 Floor Lamp Polished Brass Gold by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This lovely floor lamp is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. Since graduating with an Industria...
Brass
33 Step Tail Chair Polished Brass by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This visceral and sculptural chair is designed and made by renown artist Zhipeng Tan. Size and color is customizable upon request, lead time is 45-60 days. We ship internationally. Since graduating with an industrial design degree from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Zhipeng Tan has focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. Through this foundry process, rich in heritage and tradition, Tan explores his interest in organic forms. Often inspired by his environmental surroundings, such as water and plants, he explores anthropomorphic themes, as well. Though trained as an industrial designer, he has become an accomplished self-taught sculptor, eagerly exploring the elastic and permeable boundaries between art and design and finding a harmonious fusion of sculpture and furniture, provocative objects of both beauty and utility. Though from his early work, one may sense the influence of Joan Miró, Henry Moore and Constantin Brancusi, and in his more recent pieces there is a nod to the Post-Pop sensibilities of Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami, the work of Zhipeng Tan is thoroughly original, an expression of his exuberance and imagination. In all of his work, one may see an exploration of our fundamental humanity and a desire to discover worlds within worlds. From the 33 Step...
Brass
Lotus Floor Lamp Brushed Brass by Zhipeng Tan
By Zhipeng Tan
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Tan’s practice, since graduating from the China Academy of Art, has been focused on the ancient technique of lost-wax casting. This ancient foundry process has created an intersectio...
Brass
