The phrase “deceptively simple” might have been coined to describe Sam Maloof, whose apparently unpretentious work was driven by deep wells of ambition and sophistication. He was born to Lebanese immigrant parents, and had a strong work ethic instilled in him from childhood. Throughout his career, Maloof worked long days (and most days) in his studio, set in a lemon grove in the San Bernardino Valley of California. From this quintessentially pastoral setting, he launched an astoundingly successful career that eventually carried him all the way to the White House, which acquired one of his signature rocking chairs in the 1970s.
This was also the time that he established a strong connection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, whose innovative program “Please Be Seated” was inspired by his work: pieces of studio furniture were commissioned for the museum’s permanent collection, and visitors invited to use them. Formally speaking, Maloof’s work is unadorned and honest in appearance, yet boasts a symphony of curvature, delineated by pronounced ridgelines. These both articulate the form and offer the hands a pleasurable glide. Maloof’s work is just as satisfying in its tactility as it is visually.
Rocking chair in California walnut. Designed and made by Sam Maloof, USA, 1976.
43" L x 28" W x 47" H
109.2cm L x 71.1cm W x 119.4cm H
LC1383