Metal sculpture ‘Ancestor’ — Seymour Lipton
When it comes to attitude and commanding presence, brutalist design has it in spades. Its primary gestation began in the 50‘s from the architectural movement known as New Brutalism, which evolved from the use of concrete as a building material to create monumental statements adapted from modernist ideals. Raw concrete in French is “béton-brut”, which was a source of the name. Its use in architecture and sculpture added a confrontational rawness to it, which influenced the evolution and style of brutalist movement in the 60‘s and 70‘s. Brutalist art drew inspiration from the likes of Le Corbusier’s architecture to the sculptures by Alexander Archipenko, Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti. With sculpture, conflicting asymmetrical geometries merged with mayhem and menace, usually constructed from raw forms of metal and clay, to essentially define the brutalist aesthetic. It went on a tangent to the Mid Century modernism where you had artists like Paul Evans creating audacious, brash, heavily textured furniture with pure abandon. Brutalist architecture was quite often represented with repetitive angular geometries to a massive scale. It also was reactionary in the sense that the early Brutalism architects found the streamlined modernist designs too symmetrical and neat and wanted to introduce more abstract and unpredictable shapes to their brutalist buildings.
The radical brutalist art had an element of risk to it and pushed the boundaries of abstract expressionism in modernist art. Rather than being easy on the eye it is more antagonistic and even hostile, and a challenge for interior designers to integrate into any location. But for giving life into an inert environment, a brutalist piece is synonymous with edgy dynamics and primal honesty.
‘Ritmo Eroico II’ — Berto Lardera
1954
Museo Novecento
‘Gendarme’ -John Bradley Storrs (1885-1956, American) 1919
Brutalist lamp – Tom Greene
1970
ART PRIME DESIGN – Paris, France
‘Boxing’ – Alexander Archipenko
1914
‘Woman’ by John Metzen – Monumental 5 Foot Rusted Metal Abstract Brutalist Sculpture,
Brutalist charging bull sculpture, mid 60’s
Talisman UK
‘Crystal Cup #3 – cast and glazed earthenware by Ken Price, USA
1970’s Brutalist Patinated Iron Lamp Sculpture
ART PRIME DESIGN-Paris
!stDibs
Julián Agosta, — ‘Artistas’
Argentinian Monumental Art Deco outdoor sculpture with a hint of brutalism by Francisco Salamone
Alexander Archipenko: ‘King Solomon’
(1964)
Cast bronze brutalist sculpture
Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France- Le Corbusier
1950-54 WikiArt.org
Abstract Bronze Figure — Alberto Giacometti
1926
Fred Brouard brutalist cocktail table
Jimmy Schneider — ‘Kombination’ brutalist sculpture
1962
Kenneth Armitage, UK — ‘Monitor’
Le Corbusier “Ubu – No. 5”
1947
Lynn Chadwick, – ‘Stranger V’
‘Thinker’ Bronze Sculpture by Byron Galvez – cubist, abstract sculpture
1996
Unique Brutalist Sculpture by Michel Anasse, 1964
ART PRIME DESIGN – Paris, France
1st Dibs
John Risley – ‘Lily Pads’
USA, 1965
Mid Century Chrome Car Bumper Sculpture 1972
SHOWPLACE ANTIQUE + DESIGN CENTER, 1st Dibs
Ornement ‘Torpille’ in cut brass by Henri Gaudier Brzeska
France, 1914
Pablo Picasso – ‘Woman with outstretched arms’ – concrete sculpture
{1962}
Chrome Brutalist Laurel Lamps
Palm Beach Art & Design Centre, Florida
Peter Voulkos ceramic sculpture
Oakland Museum
Yugoslavia World War II monument
Photo Jan Kempenaers
Brutalist Torch Cut Sculpture Table Lamp by Silas Seandel, 70’s
a LA Mod, Palm Springs CA
1stDibs
Brutalist sideboard – Paul Evans
Torch cut steel Brutalist Wall Sculpture
STUDIO 111
Large brutalist nailhead wall sculpture by Joe Baisuck
Mid Century
‘Torso in Metal’ from ‘The Rock Drill’ by Sir Jacob Epstein
1913-14
Torch cut copper and brass Brutalist Table Top Sculpture
USA 70’s
JANAKOS & COMPANY
Brutalist Kinetic Sculpture – Chuck McClellan
1976
Vintage brutalist sculpture by maison21 on Flickr
Wall Relief Brutalist–Olivetti Showroom, NYC by Costantino Nivola
1954
Brutalist Neptune displaying peace sign – 60’s
Brutalist Bronze Sculpture by Roland Monteyne
1973
Art Prime Design, Paris
Brutalist Clay Vessel Signed Sullivan
Studio111, 1stDibs
Italian Brutalist metal mirror – Decorative Collective
James Bearden Sculpture, ‘Rex’
WEINBERG MODERN, NY
Italian Mid Century Italian Brutalist Footed Bowl
Pair of Sculptural Brutalist Side Tables by Adrian Pearsall
ARCHIVE 20TH CENTURY – Laguna Hills, CA
Monumental brutalist stainless steel sculpture ‘Etandards’ By Alain Vuillemet
height – 8ft 7 inches
Brutalistic vehicles maxxed :
There are some parallels that can be drawn between the post apocalyptic road warrior vehicles of the movie Fury Road and the edgy art of brutalist sculpture. With both the rampaging war rigs and sculpture of brutalism, oxy acetylene flame cuts and welding ruled the day when it came to shaping the metal, with lots of bold manipulation, to construct form from chaos. The grungy, gonzo battle rigs, reconstructed from countless bits of metal, resembled brutalist creations of mobile dystopian art. The masculine, threatening brutalist forms presented in a raw, chaotic, futuristic context in the latest installment of Mad Max, looked extremely in their element.
The ‘War Rig’ – used to rescue fertile maidens in a barren future shock wasteland. The central character in the visual smashfest onslaught.
‘Plymouth Rock’ – deconstructed ’37 Plymouth – metal Echidna
‘The Gigahorse’
Burning Man, CA
photo Scott London
