Christopher Kurtz reimagines the iconic 18th-century Birdcage Windsor chair
Sculptures of Furniture: A Windsor Alphabet is an inaugural solo show by New York artist and designer Christopher Kurtz at the Patrick Parrish Gallery in the Big Apple.
Drawing from the iconic eighteenth-century Birdcage Windsor chair, Kurtz extrapolates and reimagines the chair’s woodworking techniques and decorative conventions as monumental objects.
"The Windsor form is dissected into a taxonomy of parts, which are inverted, augmented, and rearranged in order to challenge our relationship with the objects in our built environment," explains the Gallery. "Amplified from traditional furniture ornamentation into conspicuous forms on an architectural scale, Kurtz creates sculptures whose subject, like furniture, is shifted back to the human figure."
Christopher Kurtz began his Hudson Valley studio in 2005, after five years as Martin Puryear’s assistant. His works, primarily in wood, reflect his symbiotic identities as sculptor and furniture maker and are included in several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Art Forum, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, and a cover story in American Craft magazine.
He has exhibited at The Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in New York City, as well as The Design Museum, London. In 2018, Kurtz was one of two American finalists for the esteemed Loewe Craft Prize.
Sculptures of Furniture: A Windsor Alphabet by Christopher Kurtz runs until 13 October 2018 at New York's Patrick Parrish Gallery. Discover more at www.patrickparrish.com.
