Hand Carved 'Laughing Bandit' Chair by Artist Alan Siegel, 1981
Hand carved 'Laughing Bandit' chair by artist and sculptor Alan Siegel, signed and dated 1981. It features a mustachioed face, with a broad toothed smile, and is made from a combination of maple and black walnut hardwoods. This exceptional piece of functional art exemplifies the interplay between design, functionality, and artistic expression. This is the third piece created in this edition.
This gorgeous piece of functional art is unique, whimsical, and ideal for art and design collectors alike. It was designed as a figural man's head where the backrest is comprised of the hair and eyes, along with a sculpted nose. The mustache and teeth make the seat, and the beard and neck make the legs of the chair.
Another edition of this chair was featured in a Christies 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction, which took place on December 6, 2000 (lot 239), with a provenance from Betsy Rosenfield Gallery in Chicago. It's sister piece, the 'Smiling Bandit' was featured in The New York Times article, 'Art: From Ned Smyth, A Mosaic Tantalizer' by John Russell (January 8, 1982), and TIME Magazine, 'Design: Giving a Second Life to Trees' by Wolf Von Eckardt (June 21, 1982).
An excerpt from the latter article reads:
"Still another approach falls into the whimsical or even bizarre category, such as Judy Kensley McKie’s glass-topped tables supported by attenuated, Giacometti-like mahogany dogs. McKie, 38, of Cambridgeport, Mass., sold one of her $3,600 doggy tables to Joan Mondale for the vice-presidential mansion in Washington, B.C. Alan Siegel, 43, of Lake Hill, N.Y., recently exhibited a bent poplar chair that looks, he suggests, like “a smiling bandit.” Other well-known “fun” pieces include a table by Wendell Castle, 50, of Scottsville, N.Y., with a carved wood hat and briefcase. We are recognizing that craftsmanship can be art and that art ought to show craftsmanship. Perhaps industrial designers had better watch out. People are beginning to demand more than stream lined plastic." — Wolf Von Eckardt
This elevated Siegel's work with the likes of George Nakashima, Judy Kensley McKie, and Wendell Castle, the greats of the American Studio Craft Movement.
ALAN SIEGEL (1938 - ): is an American artist and sculptor know for his abstract and whimsical constructions. He received his B.A. from Brandeis University and did graduate work at Stanford and Columbia Universities before becoming a Fulbright Scholar in Paris. Siegel still currently resides and works in New York.
Siegel has held numerous solo and group exhibitions since 1962, most notably at Steven Radich Gallery, New York, NY; Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, NY; Cordier and Ekstrom Gallery, New York, NY; Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, IL; Allene Lapides Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; and Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York, NY, among others.
His work is part of the permanent public collections of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and Legion of Honor; the Huntington Library and Art Museum; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among many others. His work is also part of major private collections, including that of JPMorgan Chase, the Coca-Cola Company, and Prudential.
DIMENSIONS: Overall: 32 H x 29 D x 25 W inches | Seat Height: 17.5 H inches
CONDITION: In original vintage condition, with wear commensurate of age and use. Some minor scratches and indentations.
Tear Sheets Are Available For Trade Members.
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