by Sam Maloof
Introduction by Jonathan Fairbanks
Photographs by Jonathan Pollock
Tokyo, New York, San Francisco: Kodansha International Ltd., (1983).
First edition (stated).
Fine in a fine dust jacket.
A lovely copy of this rare hardcover first edition that showcases the work of the master woodworker and furniture maker, Sam Maloof (1916-2009).
"What if Picasso had been a chair maker and Stravinsky a designer of
tables? What would have been the impact of such intense creative talent
on twentieth-century furniture? Today there is a man with this quality
of profound artistic vision and talent who has devoted his life to
making furniture. His name is Sam Maloof, and this book is his life and
work told in his own words. Sam Maloof started making
furniture immediately after World War II, when there was very little
demand for hand-made objects. His perseverance through 'years of
difficulty is a testament to the depth of his love for wood and for
working with it. Since childhood, Sam has also been in love with
technique and has constantly developed his precise sense of form and
design. These three loves-of wood, of making things, and of
design brought him to the world of furniture and eventually to an honored
place among America's leading artist craftsmen. As with true
great art, everything Sam Maloof makes seems simple. His furniture has a
clear rhythm and flow, a bright vitality that eludes analysis. All his
furniture is functional: chairs are comfortable; tables, while
sculptural, are still tables to be used; desks are custom-designed to
meet the needs of each user. Though Maloof furniture designs are all
intensely his own, they remain unassuming and natural. His work has the
calm, sure quality that comes from technical mastery combined with a
creative joy in finding ways to let wood speak. A first encounter with a
piece of Maloof furniture is like meeting a friend from the past-the
warmth of relationship is immediate and delightful. This warmth never
pales. The qualities of his work are mirrored in the artist.
Sam is open, direct, and gracious. He projects a feeling of affable
dignity and goodwill, and he works with the ease and clarity seen in his
furniture. Work for him is not drudgery. It is a renewal, an
affirmation. He and his wife, Alfreda, live in a meandering
house that nestles in a lemon orchard at the foot of the San Gabriel
Mountains, near San Bernardino, California. Sam has been building and
expanding the house for thirty years. It unfolds as a series of
surprises, from Sam's workshop at one end to the new guestroom at the
other. Every room contains the ceramics, woodwork, textiles, baskets,
Pictures, and other beautiful things that nourish the Maloofs and give
them pleasure. Sam Maloof's technical mastery of woodworking
is coupled with mature, strongly personal artistic expression. He has
set a standard for his craft in North America and the world. Future
generations of craftsmen will see him as one of the major artistic
lights of this century."--Publisher.
Quarto (9" by 12")
[223] pages.
Bibliography and glossary.
FREE PRIORITY SHIPPING TO THE USA.
PLEASE VIEW
OUR STORE
FOR MORE FIRST EDITION BOOKS
THANKS!