Modern Design 
20 January 2023
Modern Design 
598

John Wesley Williams

Desk and chair

USA, c. 1980
bird's-eye maple, wenge desk: 51¼ h × 36 w × 31 d in (130 × 91 × 79 cm) chair: 46½ h × 16½ w × 19 d in (118 × 42 × 48 cm)
estimate: $3,000–5,000
result: $3,528
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Desk features eight drawers, four-bay letter holder and flip-top writing surface. Branded signature to base of desk ‘Handcrafted by John Wesley Williams’.

This work will ship from Rago in Lambertville, New Jersey.

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Tradition and Innovation

John Wesley Williams' Artist Statement

I am a studio furniture maker from Greenbrier County, West Virginia. My work can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, as well as galleries in the South and Northeast. This work has been featured in several publications, and has won many best of show awards at exhibitions throughout the country.

This work is above all about a reverence for the material, both for its stunning beauty and its tactile nature. It's furniture that has to be touched and used. Work this excellent demands an equally enduring design, and technique. Traditional methods of joinery and age old methods of construction combine to deliver a piece to be enjoyed for generations.

Each piece is in the exploration, building on past works. One can see the importance to the artist in each piece, from the hand selection of the woods to the incredible finishing process that does not detract from the material or hide it beneath layers of artificiality. The work demands of the builder the highest level of craftsmanship.

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