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One of a Kind James Monroe Camp Studio Coffee Table in Walnut, USA, 1975

Creator: James Camp
Offered by: Original in Berlin

Description
One of a kind James Monroe camp coffee table in walnut. Signed!

James Monroe Camp was a self-taught, African-American artist who began working in wood to fill what he called "a need for self-expression." After serving as a drill sergeant in the Korean War, Mr. Camp moved to Camden, New Jersey where he opened his first woodworking studio in 1963, after a brief career as an electrician at RCA. He moved operations to Philadelphia in 1967, opening his eponymous studio, J. Camp Designs, at 20th and Sansom Street. Camp was well-known in Philadelphia Craft circles and beyond, purportedly earning commissions from the likes of Hollywood superstars Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and John Wayne. It's unknown how many furniture and woodworking commissions Camp received, but the great pride he took with his creations (they are almost always effusively signed), the small size of his studio, and the rarity with which his work appears on the secondary market, suggests that he was likely working alone and produced a modest output over his career. Camp's brand of organic modernism is expressed through heavily carved, massive forms in laminated or solid walnut with simple joinery and echoes the influence of fellow East coast woodworkers like Wendell Castle. This generation of woodworkers pushed furniture to the forefront of the American Craft movement, which by 1972 was solidly canonized with the opening of the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, and its inagural exhibition "Wooden Works: Furniture Objects by Five Contemporary Craftsmen."

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	United States
Period:	1950-1979
Materials:	Walnut
Condition:	Good. Excellent
Creation Date:	1975
Styles / Movements:	Modern, Mid Century
Dealer Reference #:	Tc.ob.JamesCamp.v.1812a
Incollect Reference #:	326666

Dimensions

W.	39 in;	H.	15 in;	D.	39 in;
W.	99.06 cm;	H.	38.1 cm;	D.	99.06 cm;

Message from Seller:

Spread across more than 500 m2 of retail space, Original in Berlin offers a wide range of Mid-Century Modern and selected studio furniture, lighting and accessories. Here, design lovers can find rarities by well known designers such as Charlotte Perriand, Hans J. Wegner, Pierre Chapo and Gio Ponti, as well as American classics by Paul McCobb, Jens Risom and George Nelson.

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