r - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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hough he refused to teach,
Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) is
recognized as a pioneer of the Studio
Craft Movement, and his studio, now a
museum, is a point of pilgrimage. Originally
a painter, he became completely
immersed in woodworking early in his
career. In 1913 he established his
retreat on a hillside near Paoli, a
suburb of Philadelphia, and soon
began to carve every aspect of his
surroundings, from staircase to serving
spoons, while producing furniture for
friends who became his clients. His
1962 cherrywood music stand demonstrates
the freedom of Esherick's work,
taking as its point of departure the
conformation of the wood itself.
H 43 in. Gift of Dr. Irwin R. Berman. in
memory of his father. Allan Lake
Berman. 1979.320
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