Bench (from the Helene Koerting Fischer home)

A pioneer of the American studio furniture movement, Wharton Esherick began his artistic career as a painter, but he was most prolific in the realm of woodwork, creating sculpture, furniture, and architecture. This bench was made for the home of Philadelphia businesswoman Helene Koerting Fischer as a hall bench that also housed the family’s growing record collection (cleverly placed within the drawers below the seat). It is a monumental work that is at once expressive and sculptural, gesturing toward Esherick’s desire to seamlessly join sculpture and furniture in a handcrafted, one-of-a-kind artwork that also reveals an interest in Expressionism.