When legendary furniture designer Paul Evans teamed up with furniture manufacturer Directional in the mid-1960s, Evans started to produce many of his most well-known and highly collectable pieces including the Cityscape series. The glass-topped Cityscape Dining Room Table, handmade in 1971 is a prime example of Evans’ talent for mixing form, function and art, something the artisan became known for.

In addition to being a furniture designer, Evans was a sculptor, artist and silversmith and began his career in the early 1950s making copper chests and later, sculpted steel-front cabinets. The Pennsylvania-born designer used his talents to spearhead a craft movement in the 1970s, producing iconic residential furniture pieces that embraced handmade work incorporating the best of what technology had to offer.

“The Cityscape series was a huge collection for Evans, his most popular,” says Cain Leon of Cain Modern in West Hollywood, California. “It’s the uniqueness, the artistry that he put into each piece. There is such a sensibility of playing with colors and textures. The way he brings the materials and his vision together in a harmonious execution is truly amazing.”

The table’s architectural base is crafted of a unique combination of brushed steel and burlwood pieces welded in a checkered pattern. And while the table comes with a glass topper that provides seating for six to eight people, Modern explains that the glass top is removable and can be placed with a new or larger piece of glass if need be, highlighting even further its functionality and flexibility.

“This piece is so versatile and has multiple uses because of its size and dimension. It can be used as a dining table, an entry table or simply as an object d’ art, without the glass as a stand-alone base,” he says.

Modern found the table at an estate sale in California. The previous owners had bought the piece from a studio in Los Angeles in the 1970s and it had been with them ever since. Sadly, when the wife passed away, her children decided to get rid of everything in the estate. Finding the piece in such good condition makes it all the more worthy. There are no scratches or chips among the burlwood sections and while some of the metal patchwork does show signs of wear, Modern has cleaned and polished the piece almost to perfection.

“Pieces such as this one come up for sale so infrequently, it really is quite rare to have found it,” says Modern. “There weren’t many objects made using steel and burlwood and putting the two materials together is uncommon, but how they’re juxtaposed here, it just works. I was very lucky to find it and to find it so well cared for.”

Modern stresses that while this table may not be for everyone, it is very much for the collector who has an appreciation for the craft and talent that Evans’ works represents. “I believe this piece is for the individual with a particular point of view, a certain cache and style,” he says. “That person could be an individual collector or perhaps from the design trade, either way, it is quite the treasure to be found.”

Cain Modern
415 1/2 Westmount Dr
West Hollywood , CA 90048

Contact: Cain Leon
E-mail: cain@cainmodern.com
Phone: 310-652-6045
Website: www.cainmodern.com

Price: $14,950.00

Overall Dimensions
29" H X 68" W X 41.5" D
73.7cm H X 172.7cm W X 105.4cm D
Measurements:
68" long x 41 1/2" deep x 29" high
Pedestal:
31 1/2" long x 18" deep x 28 1/2" high
Glass:
3/4" thick