Ward Bennett modern white 3078 I-beam occasional table for Brickel Associates, 1960s, USA.

Provenance: Brickel Associates; Property from a Private New York City Collection.

Measures: 15"H x 12"W x 12"D.

Bennett sought to create a design style that was uniquely American, versus the popular European design styles of the 1960s and 70's. His style was called "sensual minimalism" for his blending of industrial design and aesthetic look. He is considered one of the first designers to use industrial design and the industrial aesthetic in home design. Hailed by the American Institute of Architects, Bennett is credited as an American pioneer in the use of industrial materials for home furnishings – a prime example being his early ’60s I Beam Table, which employs a section of beam for a base.

Ward Bennett’s career began at age 13, when he quit school to work in New York’s Garment District. At 16 he went to Europe and continued working in fashion.

Despite attending art schools in Florence and Paris, he was mostly self-taught, with skills ranging from jewelry-making to interior design. “I learn from people,” he said, referencing influences including Georgia O’Keeffe.

Bennett eventually settled in New York, where his reputation earned him many high-profile clients. Lyndon Johnson later asked Bennett to design a chair for his presidential library—“a cross between a barroom chair and a courtroom chair with a little Western saddle.”

Today, he is considered the first American to use industrial materials for home furnishings. He was hailed by the American Institute of Architects for “transforming industrial hardware into sublime objects.” Many his designs are in the permanent collection at MoMA, as well as in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.