A Collection of Art You Could Even Learn to Live With
“Go ahead, sit in it.”
Lois Lambert adjusted a jolly-looking birch armchair, with slats painted red, and back and seat upholstered in squashed yellow tennis balls.
It was surprisingly comfortable, its back attached with a little spring that made it a semi-rocker.
And it looked right at home in a gallery filled with 50 pieces of unorthodox home furnishings, such as a concrete chair and chest of drawers, a polished gourd chandelier and an aluminum clock with the face of a robot.
The works are by artists--mostly painters and sculptors--who have created furniture using whatever medium they work with. The result is a collection of tables, chairs and accessories that is unusual both in styling and material, which includes glass, paper, plaster, recycled metals and a variety of woods. They are on display through March 12 at the Gallery of Functional Art at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave.
“My idea was to counteract the notion of art as something you can’t touch,” said gallery owner Lambert, a designer herself. “I was interested in accessibility. I think living with art and participating with art is a great combination.”
Lambert, who opened her gallery 12 years ago, has become an international authority on functional art. Her gift shop of functional art home accessories and the gallery have become a destination both for serious collectors and people decorating their houses and wanting something different.
“We have six shows a year, and every year we open with a group show,” said Lambert, who represents about 600 artists from around the world.
The current show runs a stylistic gamut. Bonnie Nelson’s concrete chair with lifelike arms and feet “could be sat in, but you probably wouldn’t,” Lambert said. “But it would look great in a garden with vines growing all over it.”
By contrast, the chair of recycled tennis balls by Randall S. Tsuno is witty yet comfortable.
“You could bring a piece like this into a traditional living room, and it would fit right in, like a nice piece of pop art,” Lambert said.
“Everything is made by hand. There are no factories involved here. Look at the grain in this wood,” she said, stopping at Steve Madsen’s whimsical hall tree titled “Forbidden Fruit.” “This is a beautiful piece of sculpture, but you can put it in the bedroom and use it as a valet too.”
The artists participating in the show also make pieces on commission or customize pieces they’ve already made, Lambert said.
For a virtual visit to the gallery, go to https://www.galleryoffunctionalart.com.
Connie Koenenn can be reached at connie.koenenn@latimes.com.