Paul Evans Sculpted Bronze, Patchwork Steel & Slate Cabinet, 1968

Exceptional and highly unusual cabinet by American designer and sculptor Paul Evans, executed in 1968. The substantial case is clad entirely in hand-worked, blackened patchwork steel, creating a dark architectural framework for a pair of richly textured sculpted bronze resin doors.
The doors are conceived as individual abstract compositions, incorporating an extraordinary variety of Evans' characteristic techniques and textures. Welded, modeled, pierced and heavily worked surfaces form a patchwork of geometric grids, organic reliefs, corrugated passages and open cellular elements. The dark patinated bronze is selectively highlighted across the raised surfaces, giving the façade remarkable depth and allowing the intricate relief to change dramatically with the light.
The two original large panels of natural slate inset into the top, provide a restrained organic counterpoint to the hand-worked metal surfaces. The cabinet rests on a broad recessed plinth clad in matching blackened steel, giving the substantial form an almost floating appearance.
The two doors open to reveal a black-finished interior divided into two compartments, each fitted with an adjustable shelf, providing generous and practical storage.
Particularly striking is the combination of several materials and techniques for which Evans is celebrated—sculpted bronze, patchwork steel and natural slate—within a single unified composition. The monochromatic palette gives the cabinet a distinctly architectural presence while allowing the extraordinary texture and craftsmanship of the bronze colored façade to remain the focus.
Signed “PE” and dated “68” on the lower right corner.
A powerful example of Paul Evans' late-1960s work, blurring the distinction between functional furniture and sculptural art.