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Tommy Simpson almost singlehandedly changed the direction of the Studio Furniture field. Trained as an artist at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Tommy exhibited at more than 250 museums and galleries over his prolific 60-year career. Despite the influence of his work and his prodigious output, there is no comprehensive biography or catalog of his work. In addition to furniture, he created paintings, sculptures, rug designs, domestic interiors, ceramics, jewelry, toys, even a stamp for the U.S. Post Office. Culminating all these formats in this full-color book with over 200 photographs of Simpson''s work, this volume will appeal to students, artists, furniture makers, collectors, and anyone intrigued by the humor, enchantment, and pure joy of his work.
List of contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1. Home, Heart and Hand: The Childhood That Shaped Tommy's Work
Chapter 2. Life as an "Imaginist"
Chapter 3. Painting Stories
Chapter 4. Tommy's Furniture and Boxes Too
Chapter 5. Tommy's Sculptures: Mostly Wood
Chapter 6. House and Home
Chapter 7. Handwoven Rugs and Textiles
Chapter 8. Whatever Tommy Wanted to Try, He Did: Ceramics, Jewelry, Toys, etc. Even a U.S. Postage Stamp.
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Oscar P. Fitzgerald, PhD is a nationally known historian, author, lecturer, and consultant on American furniture from colonial times to the present. As a member of the faculty of the Smithsonian Institution/George Washington University Decorative Arts and Design History Masters Program, he teaches all the furniture classes He has shared his passion for furniture with audiences nationwide, including a number of certification seminars for appraisers. Recently, he presented a program on identifying Mid-century Modern furniture fakes at the annual conference of the International Society of Appraisers. His latest publication is the definitive
American Furniture Designers: 1900-2020.
