BASSAMFELLOWS: CARVE, CURVE, CANE

June 22 through August 27

82 Franklin Street New York City, NY

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R & Company and BassamFellows are pleased to present Carve, Curve, Cane, an exhibition of new works by designers Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows. The exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the rich materiality of their practice and how their designs borrow and adapt from the principles of high Modernism.

Bassam and Fellows, known for their visionary ‘Craftsman Modern’ lifestyle and aesthetic, initially gained international attention with their now-iconic “Tractor Stool,” which first debuted 20 years ago. The duo founded their design studio BassamFellows in Switzerland in 2003 and launched their collection in the U.S. with an exhibition at R & Company. Carve, Curve, Cane becomes a homecoming for BassamFellows and celebrates the commitment they share with R & Company to preserving the history of Modernism, while championing innovation and experimentation in Contemporary design. Today, their Connecticut-based practice, headquartered in the first commercial building designed by Philip Johnson in 1952, continues to link Modernist design from the 20th century through to the present.

Carve, Curve, Cane assembles some of BassamFellows’ most recent work, with an emphasis on geometry and innovative materials. Carving is highlighted through their Plaza series of carved solid marble pieces, the Sling Club Chair, carved from walnut with steel and leather, and the Mantis and Brutus chairs – both carved from solid walnut. The latter piece is elegantly finished with Vienna cane, which is echoed throughout the installation. Curves are realized in the bent tubular steel of the Geometric series and the gently rolled edges of the entire collection.

The exhibition is further punctuated by the graphic, spectral work of contemporary Indian artist, Prabhavathi Meppayil, and historic pieces by Jean Arp. Meppayil employs traditional jewelry-making techniques to form impressions on metallic surfaces, reinterpreting classic, minimalist grid patterns with unique mediums and methods. For Arp, biomorphic forms in bronze prove sensual and ambiguous, yet are strongly evocative of nature.

Franklin Street becomes the perfect backdrop for a celebration of form and material in Carve, Curve, Cane.

The exhibition at 82 Franklin Street is accompanied by a second program that opened on July 9th at the BassamFellows headquarters in Ridgefield, Connecticut, titled Modern in Your Life: Design, Architecture and Art at The Schlumberger Administration Building. This exhibition pairs designs from the studio with historical works from R & Company’s collection, curated by James Zemaitis, and works of art curated by Erica Barrish. Modern in Your Life presents a rare opportunity to experience a fully-realized articulation of Modernist philosophy from its origin to the present.

Reservations are suggested for the 82 Franklin Street exhibition (Monday – Friday) and required for the Schlumberger Administrative Building installation in Connecticut (Friday – Saturday). Limited bookings are available.