Arthur Espenet Carpenter
Arthur Espenet Carpenter (1920-2006) was a self-taught American woodworker and furniture designer, a contemporary of Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima, renowned for his craftsmanship and for the sculptural elegance of his work.
Carpenter made furniture with the human senses in mind, pairing smooth, rounded contours with richly grained woods that seduce the eye. His approach was human-centred and guided by natural phenomena, and the pieces that came out of it join artistry and utility without strain.
Biography
Arthur Espenet Carpenter II was born in New York City in 1920 and took a degree in economics and English at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1942. He served in the Navy during World War II, a period that raised profound existential questions for him, and on his return he left business life behind for San Francisco, where he could explore his creativity through woodworking. He was entirely self-taught. His early years had a single focus, bowls and treen ware, through which he gained a deep understanding of the woodworker's craft.
In 1950 one of his pieces was selected for the Museum of Modern Art's Good Design exhibits, which introduced him to the world of crafts and craftsmen. By the second half of the 1950s his furniture business employed six skilled artisans, and its success had left him little time to make anything himself. Seeking a quieter life, he moved his family to Bolinas, California, on the fringes of a redwood forest, and built his own home and studio there in the pastoral-modernist style that also defines his furniture. In that setting he refined his skills further and made the pieces that are still sought after today. His work entered the collection of the Smithsonian Institution and was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York. He died of a heart attack on 25 May 2006.
Models and collaborations
The aesthetic of Carpenter's designs drew on Scandinavian influences, infused with naturally occurring shapes and with warm, richly grained wood. Many of his pieces are unique.
Much of the work came out of a collaborative process with clients. Some simply described what they needed and left him the creative freedom to resolve it, while others asked for a preliminary sketch or model first. His furniture also reached buyers through select stores across the country.