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World-renowned craftsman Sam Maloof exhibits some of his creations at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, September 14, 2001. Maloof's work has been displayed in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and Philadelphia’s Museum
Sam Maloof
Woodworker whose furniture sits in the White House dies at 93
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - Sam Maloof, whose simple, practical handmade wooden furniture sits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the White House, has died. He was 93.
Maloof died Thursday at his Southern California home, his business manager Boz Bock told the Los Angeles Times. No further details were given.
Maloof was praised for putting usefulness before artistry in the chairs, cradles, hutches and other pieces he designed and crafted by hand.
Maloof's signature piece was a rocking chair with elongated rockers that appeared sculptural, but was actually incorporated to keep the chair from tipping over.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who signed a photograph "to my woodworking hero" during a visit to Maloof's home, and subsequent presidents used the rocking chairs in the White House.
Maloof's modern furniture, assembled entirely out of wood without nails or metal hardware, fit handsomely in the minimalist homes of the postwar era. Its wood, leather and cork softened the hard edges of the era's architecture.
Two years after Maloof opened his woodworking business in 1949, Better Homes & Gardens published photographs and plans of his furniture to show readers how to decorate economically.
In 1957, the American Craft Museum in New York displayed Maloof's work in its first exhibition of studio-craft furniture. Over the decades, his work has entered permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other museums.
Maloof was also the first craftsman to receive a MacArthur Foundation grant in 1985.
Sam Maloof
January 24, 1916 - May 21, 2009
Memory Book
“ Sam, You have been an inspiration to me and the Craft. It is a sad day but you will always be remembered. I know you are in a better place right now...Read More » ”
Posted by: Guillermo Bez
