Inspired by pure geometrical forms — circles, rectangles, squares, cylinders and spheres — John Eric Byers’s furniture is deceptively simple. A closer inspection, however, shows that behind each coffee table, bench and chair there is great care and meticulous attention to detail. It is little wonder why the woodworker is considered to be among the foremost figures of the modern American Studio movement.
Born in Rochester, New York, in 1959, Byers trained in the workshop of Wendell Castle, “the father of the art furniture movement.” The renowned American sculptor greatly influenced Byers, and the New York native found inspiration in the work of other artist-designers while in Castle’s workshop such as Donald Judd and British ceramicist Hans Coper.
Following his studies under Castle, Byers established a studio and workshop in Newfield, New York. There, he uses a variety of specialized techniques in the design of his furniture, including wood milling, lamination, hand-shaping, hand-tooling and finishing, often with casein milk paint, which is believed to have been used in ancient Egypt.
Byers’s side tables, stools, sideboards, credenzas and other pieces are sculpted by hand in his preferred material — hard, blackened maple. Each design demonstrates his keen focus on detailed surface texture and structure.
Byers’s works have not gone unnoticed over the course of his decades-long career. He has won multiple awards, such as the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award and the New York Foundation of the Arts Award. He has been included in the Smithsonian’s Oral Archives of American Arts as well.
Byers’s pieces feature in permanent collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mint Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.
Find vintage John Eric Byers tables, seating, case pieces and storage cabinets.
C2 Chair Hand-Sculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C2 chair by John Eric Byers. Dimensions: 49.5 x 45.8 x 77.5 cm Materials: carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John Er...
Maple
C1 Chair Handsculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C1 chair by John Eric Byers. Dimensions: 49.5 x 45.8 x 77.5 cm Materials: Carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John E...
Maple
C4 Chair Handsculpted by John Eric Byers
By John Eric Byers
Located in Geneve, CH
C4 chair by John Eric Byers Dimensions: 63.5 x 58.5 x 45.7 cm Materials: Carved blackened maple All works are individually handmade to order. John Eric Byers creates geometri...
Maple
Ana Sculpted Chair by Sizar Alexis
By Sizar Alexis
Located in Geneve, CH
Ana sculpted chair by Sizar Alexis Limited Edition of 35 Dimensions: Length 62cm, width 50cm, height 72cm, seat height: 45cm Comes in black, white stained and natural pine plywood Signed and numbered pieces. Delivery time 4-6 weeks About Sizar Alexis Sizar Alexis is a Swedish-Iraqi product and furniture designer that experiments with objects that display serenity through geometrical shapes, while remaining robust in volume. His trademark style is built on creating objects bear a strong character, accomplished through the use of raw and imperfect surfaces in combination with a deep interest in Brutalism and the rich cultural and architectural heritage from ancient Mesopotamia. He uses the delicate character of noble materials juxtaposed with Brutalist angular shapes to create objects that Stand the test of time. Background and history Sizar Alexis was born in Ankawa, just outside the city of Erbil in northern Iraq. His Chaldean roots puts his lineage in a straight line back to 5000 BC...
Wood
Ana Sculpted Chair by Sizar Alexis
By Sizar Alexis
Located in Geneve, CH
Ana sculpted chair by Sizar Alexis Limited Edition of 35 Dimensions: length 62cm, width 50cm, height 72cm, seat height: 45cm Comes in black, white stained and natural pine plywood Signed and numbered pieces. Delivery time 4-6 weeks About Sizar Alexis Sizar Alexis is a Swedish-Iraqi product and furniture designer that experiments with objects that display serenity through geometrical shapes, while remaining robust in volume. His trademark style is built on creating objects bear a strong character, accomplished through the use of raw and imperfect surfaces in combination with a deep interest in Brutalism and the rich cultural and architectural heritage from ancient Mesopotamia. He uses the delicate character of noble materials juxtaposed with Brutalist angular shapes to create objects that Stand the test of time. Background and history Sizar Alexis was born in Ankawa, just outside the city of Erbil in northern Iraq. His Chaldean roots puts his lineage in a straight line back to 5000 BC...
Wood
Ana Sculpted Chair by Sizar Alexis
By Sizar Alexis
Located in Geneve, CH
Ana sculpted chair by Sizar Alexis Limited Edition of 35 Dimensions: Length 62cm, width 50cm, height 72cm, seat height: 45cm Comes in black, white stained and natural pine plywood Signed and numbered pieces. Delivery time 4-6 weeks About Sizar Alexis Sizar Alexis is a Swedish-Iraqi product and furniture designer that experiments with objects that display serenity through geometrical shapes, while remaining robust in volume. His trademark style is built on creating objects bear a strong character, accomplished through the use of raw and imperfect surfaces in combination with a deep interest in Brutalism and the rich cultural and architectural heritage from ancient Mesopotamia. He uses the delicate character of noble materials juxtaposed with Brutalist angular shapes to create objects that stand the test of time. Background and history Sizar Alexis was born in Ankawa, just outside the city of Erbil in northern Iraq. His Chaldean roots puts his lineage in a straight line back to 5000 BC...
Wood
John Eric Byers, "C2", Chair
By John Eric Byers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This solid maple chair from John Eric Byers merges modern, simplified geometries with traditional craft, painstakingly hand carved and lacquered with a distinctive textured pattern t...
Maple
John Eric Byers, "C3", Chair
By John Eric Byers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This solid maple chair from John Eric Byers merges modern, simplified geometries with traditional craft, painstakingly hand carved and lacquered with a distinctive textured pattern t...
Maple
John Eric Byers, "C1", Chair
By John Eric Byers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This solid maple chair from John Eric Byers merges modern, simplified geometries with traditional craft, painstakingly hand carved and lacquered with a distinctive textured pattern t...
Maple
John Eric Byers, "C4", Chair
By John Eric Byers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This solid maple chair from John Eric Byers merges modern, simplified geometries with traditional craft, painstakingly hand carved and lacquered with a distinctive textured pattern t...
Maple
Sculptural Contemporary Bronze Chair by Parvine Curie
By Parvine Curie
Located in London, GB
Sculptural Chair by Parvine Curie Material: Bronze, black patina Dimensions: H 95 x 45 x 65 cm Year: 2014 Parvine Curie was born in Nancy, France, in 1936. An autodidact, her arti...
Bronze
Paolo Pallucco "Sedia No.24" Chair, 1990 Italy.
By Paolo Pallucco
Located in Brussels, BE
Chair number 24 "Sedia sarcastica sulla propria sorte" is part of the series "100 Sedie in una Notte". Designed by Paolo Pallucco and produced by Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea Emilio...
Wood
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