Born in
Alameda, CA, in
1934, Gary Knox Bennett is a very different kind of
artist. He attended the
California College of Arts and Crafts in
Oakland, which is where his heart is. Although he does
jewelry and
sculpture, his major
ouevre has been in ...
furniture. No kidding! And it's stunning stuff. Obvious influences include
Japanese art and architecture,
African and
Native American tribal motifs, classical
European furniture, and a
sense of humor. Motto:
No sissy art for me!
His recent show at the
Oakland Museum of California includes desks, clocks, lamps, chairs, chests of drawers, and some jewelry. Some of it is
whimsical, some
striking--some you'd put in your
three-year-old princess's bedroom, and some is too
phallic for anything but a
men's club. Some of my favorite pieces:
- a lavender desk with trademark brushed
aluminum accents, a front that curves and ripples--and the handles curve and ripple too--and the "leg-space" is painted in back with a fire, and the whole thing has a false brick bottom. So it's a desk that looks like a fireplace. Hee.
- another lavender desk, extremely delicate with curved, spindly legs that make it look like it's about to dance away--right next to a desk carved out of huge pieces of black and brown wood and metal (called "Bull Desk")
- a
grandfather clock built into a packing crate, lit from inside--the light flickers and dims when you tuch the copper nails in the side
- pink and blue cloud, star, and moon-shaped clocks
- a lamp inspired by a
samurai helmet
- a very elegant-looking necklace formed by two abstract metal strips of bacon and an abstract fried egg, which has "Eat at Alice's" scribbled on it
- a clock with fiery golden wings and exquisitely detailed feathered bronze legs, and silver talons, that looked like something out of a grown-up
Harry Potter
Bennett doesn't fit most people's idea of an 'artiste,' either. He's at least 6'3", with a large beard, a barrel chest, and wears
cowboy boots. I'm usually not into
art furniture at all, but this stuff is just...fun.