James Evanson: An American Artist and Furniture Designer

This article forms part of the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub providing a structured overview of design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.

James Evanson, an American artist, architect, and furniture designer based in New York and Santa Fe, was born in 1946. Evanson has been at the forefront of the “functional art” movement worldwide. His work has travelled worldwide since his first exhibition in 1979 at the Art et Industrie Gallery in New York. New work was created for the Memphis Collection in Milan for the occasion. The “Lighthouse” lamps gained international acclaim and became an icon of the 1980s. The ID Annual Design Review chose Evanson’s “Comet Club” barstool. Evanson’s most recent work has focused on the aesthetics of kiln-formed glass.

Biography

Evanson was born in Montana and received early instruction as a cabinetmaker, carpenter, and draughtsman from his father. He then earned an architecture degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. As a combat helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star.

Evanson has spoken at Yale University, Pratt Institute, and the Rhode Island School of Design, among other places. He has taught at SUNY Purchase, New York City’s Parson’s School of Design, and the Art Institute of New York City.

Evanson Studios, Owner 1974 to PRESENT

Architect with a licence. He founded a design and art studio to create and build glass art, functional art, silkscreens, graphics, light fittings, interior design, single-family homes, and other projects.

Evanson Showroom from 1997 to 2012.

He co-founded a high-end furniture dealership in Manhattan with his wife, Lisa, to conceive, produce, and sell original designs “to the trade.” The clients were Michael Douglas, the Bill Clinton Library, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Brooks Brothers, Nelson Rockefeller Jr, and Patricia Hearst.