2005.100.1

African Chair #34: 'Third Man'
1992
33.25 in HIGH x 24.5 in WIDE x 19.25 in DEEP
(84.45 cm HIGH x 62.23 cm WIDE x 48.89 cm DEEP)
Gift of Sylvia Bennett
2005.100.1

on bottom of chair: "GKB ANNO 92 3/3 34 12741"
OMCA, Gallery of California Art, Open Space 2/3, "2000 and Rising," May 1 - Aug. 1, 2010.

Made in Oakland Notes from Sylvia Bennet (wife of the artist and donor of the chair) re: the chair: "This walnut chair has short, curved arms, which adjoin the back rail/backrest. The chair back shows a characteristic curvilinear shape characteristic of Bennett's work. Front legs are square in cross section with turned detailing at junction of leg and seat. Back legs are more massive and taper in graceful curves from base to junction of leg and seat.Under the seat is composed of a "frame" of four outer piecses that surroundd a center portion composed of seven slats. These may provide a certain "give" to the seat. There are fourteen hammered cooper brads adorning the seat, seven on each side of the seat. Seven strands of beads ("bead stacks") hang from the back rail. They are made of glass (old Czech trade beads), white bone, oxidized copper, and wood in triangular and circular shapes. The text on the left, "GKB ANNO 92" indicates it was made by (Garry) in 1992. "3/3 means that this was the third chair in a series of 3 (what Garry calls the "Third Man" in a given series). "34" indicates this was the 34th in Bennett's African Series, made up of chairs of this general shape and size. "12741" is a reference to the date that Pearl Harbor was attacked, an event that has long troubled Bennett. During one year, he places this date on all furniture he made. In general, the quirky originality of the chair's design reflects the experimental environment of the 1950s to 1970s that shaped Bennett's approach to furniture design."
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