Wendell Castle

Wendell Castle (1932–2018), a major artist and designer, is widely regarded as the father of the concept of “art furniture” in the United States. Born in Kansas, he earned a degree in Industrial Design at the local university, followed by a master’s degree in sculpture. He later moved to Rochester, New York, to teach at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he established his own studio and, between the 1960s and 1970s, created a series of original furniture-sculptures in fiberglass and laminated wood, deeply influenced by the work of Wharton Esherick. Castle also pioneered a new technique he himself developed, known as “stack lamination,” which allowed him to build large blocks of wood from layered planks. Through this method, he was able to create furniture characterized by pronounced biomorphism and strikingly surreal qualities. Much of the art-oriented collectible design exhibited today in leading galleries owes a clear debt to his work, which remains a powerful reference point. In 1980, he founded the Wendell Castle Workshop to teach advanced woodworking techniques to younger generations, and he continued to experiment and innovate throughout his life. Later in life, he also turned to painting, and in 2017 he collaborated with the brand Amini to translate some of his works into vividly colored rugs. Far removed from functionalism and the principles of industrial mass production, Wendell Castle’s work is today represented in more than forty of the world’s most important design museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.