Wendell Castle

Friedman Benda, New York

Acquired from the above in 2015 by the present owner

The Peninsula Chicago, Art in Resonance: A Journey, February - June 2024

Wendell Castle’s "Crossroads" from 2014 stands as an emblematic example of the American design icon’s visionary amalgamation of functional design and thought-provoking sculpture. Credited as the founding father of the American Art Furniture movement, Castle devoted a celebrated six-decade career to rigorously interrogating the relationship between form and function. He combined whimsical design with meticulous drafting to create works with undeniable presence. Testament to his singular aesthetic, Castle’s works can be found in the esteemed collections of institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.

The present work is the first example of the “Misfits” series that Castle introduced in 2014, in which the designer spliced and reorganized sketches of disparate chairs to create ellipsoidal forms that are at once organic and surreal. "Crossroads" underscores Castle’s admiration and appreciation for the chair and the challenges that it brings: “Since you sit in a chair, it immediately becomes an intimate object, one that you constantly test by sitting and thus have a relationship with.” A lasting example of the constant reinvention and reimagination that defined the late artist’s practice, the present work and its stained ash wood curves pulse with Castle’s intimate and creative approach to furniture design, continuing to inspire its viewers and broaden the horizons of design.