Boy, do I know how you feel.

No one can save everything, and that is not expected, but public artwork has a role to play in the history of art and design and should be saved for generations as yet unborn.

Well that’s my pontificating done for today!

John,
Thanks for your comments. And I think you must be right – these are art pieces. They have that distinct look (and quality level), and I imagine there are also technical reasons why these would be difficult to produce in larger runs. And of course you’re right about the ceramic murals – the credenza is definitely in that mold. I wonder who originated that style, and when? We still have some of those here in Vancouver, particularly on downtown apartment buildings and civic buildings, but they’re definitely endangered and many hate them. Why are the 70s so hated? I’ve had to overcome that bias myself. Anyway, it’s always interesting to hear your take on things.

Paul Evans, for example comes from a fine art background, while Phillip Lloyd Powell was a self taught furniture designer who was keen on using odd, unusual and found materials, he died last year. It makes me think that these are art, or at least ‘fine craft’ pieces, which is probably reflected in the price. Both men would probably not have had any furniture design schooling and so would not have necessarily had any pre-conceptions as to what furniture design should be.

The Paul Evans ‘credenza’ makes me think of the large number of ceramic murals that were produced by artists, for public buildings throughout the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s, many of which have sadly disappeared or are in danger of. But that’s another topic and another issue.