PHILIP AND KELVIN LAVERNE

The father and son duo are known for melding ancient Egyptian and chinoiserie motifs.

Philip was born in 1907 in New York, NY and went on study under the Ashcan School painter John Sloan at the Art Students League of New York.

His son, Kelvin was born in 1936 in New York and majored in metal sculpting and furniture design at the Parsons School of Design.

Father and son metalworkers, furniture designers and artists Philip and Kelvin LaVerne are the subject of a new book, Alchemy (Pointed Leaf Press), on which Kelvin collaborated with New York design gallerist Evan Lobel. The designers are seen here unearthing a table from their Chan series, which they had buried for months in soil so it would obtain an antique patina (photo courtesy of Kelvin LaVerne). Top: A 1960s cabinet from the duo’s Odyssey series. All photos courtesy of Lobel Modern unless otherwsie noted

The duo employed acid etching and patination while embellishing and antiquing decorative household objects.

In the mid 50's, father and son began working together with a view to creating their first pieces.

Kelvin was mainly focused on the functional designs and the lay out of the larger forms whereas his dad Philip, concentrated on the decorative elements and the materials.

While the studio continued to produce works after the death of Philip in 1987, the furniture has brought a multidisciplinary spirit to furniture design, perhaps even architectural and scientific to their works.

They constantly experimented with traditional artisanal processes of making filigree and fret work - the interlaced decorative design carved into sheet metal.

Philip and Kelvin Laverne - 'Chan' Low Table, ca. 1965

The LaVernes sought inspiration from the study of western and eastern art, and certainly mythology was an important source. The Historical and Civilisations series drew on Roman, Chinese, Japanese and Greek motifs as seen the Eternal Forest tables (below).

The Chan tables for example, are as much of a work of art as a piece of furniture as seen below.

The LaVernes experimented with their proprietary process for making the patinated bronze, brass and pewter works in the1950's and continued to make oxidised tables and credenzas throughout their long career.

Later on in the 1970's, the duo shifted towards free-standing sculptures, leveraging the ancient 'lost wax' bronze-casting technique but they quickly realised it was not cost-effective a method when it came to producing large-scale sculptures.

Philip and Kelvin LaVerne designs have started to attract a generation of collectors in the market since 2021 when a table was sold at Sotheby's for $94,500.

While its overall market valuation is still in its infancy, the pieces are really well made and bronze work will remain highly valued in the design world.

There is no doubt that the prices will continue to go up in value and desirability.