PIASA presents on Thursday, December 10th at 6pm, a design auction based on a selection of pieces by American designers produced in the 1950s to 1970s, including two creations by Phillip Lloyd Powell.
Born in 1919, in Germantown, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Phillip Lloyd Powell studied mechanical engineering at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. After the Second World War, the young man became familiar with design by restoring antique furniture. A few years later, he opened a showroom in New Hope where he presented his creations. It was also an opportunity for him to meet artists such as sculptor Wharton Esherick and Japanese designer and architect George Nakashima.
At a time when minimalism, influenced by Scandinavian aesthetics, was enjoying great success, Powell proposed a new path that was closer to naturalism. In his creations, beyond the logical transformation that the author makes him undergo, the material remains visible. Thus, in many instances, the curves of the trunk and those of the branches of a tree, inspire him the line, the shape and the movement of his furniture.
Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008)
Console suspendue
Estimation : 10 000 / 15 000 €
From his friendly and artistic meeting with the designer Paul Evans, who frequents his showroom from time to time, an authentic creative partnership will blossom. When Evans moved to New Hope in 1955, the two designers teamed up to open a joint showroom. The fruit of their collaboration was regularly presented to the public, such as during the exhibition "Furniture by Craftsmen" in 1957 at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts.
Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008)
Table - Pièce unique
Estimation : 14000 / 18000 €
At the end of their collaboration, Phillip Lloyd Powell undertook a trip and spent several years in Spain. On his return, he continued his exploration of the formal potential of furniture and proposed almost fantastic pieces, paying more attention to the design than to the functionality of creations that sometimes oscillate between design and sculpture. A true artist, he mixes pure modernism with organic forms. His creations are characterized by elegance, sculpturality, sinuous lines and a rigorous execution.
