Wharton Harrris Esherick (1887-1970)
Living in a remote area by Valley Forge near Philadelphia, Wharton Esherick built his homestead and work place in the 1920s and left a legacy of bridging art with craftsmanship. Many of his works reflect the Art Deco style, and his distinctive furniture designs made him a pioneer of the decorative arts. He had little use for straight lines, and his structures are full of swirls and spirals, with an intent to surprise and occupy the eye. He was a Philadelphia native and in 1913 left a career in commercial art and the bustling of the city to move with his wife to his country home. He tried Impressionist painting, but his friend Sherwood Anderson suggested that his frames were more interesting than his paintings, and he turned to sculpture. He is credited with initiating much of the art furniture movement of the 20th century including cantilevered decks and swivel lamps.
His home is now the Wharton Esherick Museum, designed by Lewis Kahn, and it has rough-hewn borders and is in the shape of three contiguous hexagons. Esherick’s daughter and her husband live in one of the outbuildings.
Information courtesy of Charlton Hall Auctions