Wendell Castle. Courtesy of Castle Studios.
If not for Wendell Castle, there would have been no Objects: USA. It was his sculptural furniture that initially inspired Lee Nordness to show craft at his New York City gallery, and it was that involvement in the field that ultimately led Nordness to make his bold proposal to Johnson Wax. This was just one of many generative moments in Castle’s early career: his initial move from sculpture into furniture (though he never fully left the former behind); the development of his signature technique of “stack lamination,” which freed him from standard vocabularies of joinery; and experiments with cast fiberglass. All were driven by his relentless exploration of new ideas, his questioning of every assumption about furniture.
The majestic silver leaf desk that represented him in Objects: USA and included the Objects: USA 2020 catalog was the perfect example of this. A single whiplash line, reflecting his interest in Art Nouveau, it is also a massive piece of woodwork, with laminated sections and an enormous scarf joint holding together its extended “tail.”
Tongue Gel-coated fiberglass-reinforced plastic table. Designed and manufactured by Wendell Castle, Rochester, New York, 1969.
61.5” L x 24” W x 22” H 156.2cm L x 61cm W x 55.9cm H
CT1129