Arthur Espenet Carpenter II (1920 – 2006) American Artisan

Arthur Espenet Carpenter II (1920-2006) was a master woodworker and furniture maker known for his wishbone chair and desk with scalloped seashell sides. Self-taught, he joined the Baulines Craft Guild in the 1970s, and through this program, he taught about 250 apprentices inspiring a whole new generation of studio furniture makers.

Education

He earned a B.A. in Economics and English from Dartmouth in 1942, then entered the Navy for four years, “giving me plenty of time to think of whether I wanted to end up in Wall Street or my father’s business, or whatever.” 

Biography

Following World War II, he was employed in importing Oriental art. However, he later decided to pursue a career in the production business to be more actively involved in the creation process. So, just to see if he could do it, he moved to San Francisco, bought a lathe, and, with no idea of becoming a craftsman—rather to make things, sell them, and be independent—he began making wooden bowls and other treen ware.

By 1950, Carpenter had been accepted into the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design Exhibits, and his bowls were being sold in select stores across the country. Although he initially focused on producing wooden bowls, he eventually taught himself the necessary skills and acquired the equipment to begin producing furniture instead.

After a slow first year, customers started flocking to his rural location in Bolinas, California, allowing him to restore what he saw as a lost equilibrium. A carpenter started construction on a house without a clear idea of how long it would take to complete it. He used an architect’s plan as a rough outline, “so I’d know what beams would hold up what,” and he constructed the unusual circular house near his workshop using wood from an abandoned barn on the hilltop property.

Recognition

His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Modern Art and Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Oakland Museum, and LACMA in Los Angeles, to name a few.

He was declared a “living California treasure” in 1984. He received The Furniture Society’s Award of Distinction in 2001.

Sources

Arthur Espenet Carpenter. (n.d.). Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved May 13, 2023, from https://americanart.si.edu/artist/arthur-espenet-carpenter-7496

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

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