object lesson
1
1. A 1970S PLASTER HOOFED TABLE IN DEALER LIZ O’BRIEN’S PENNSYLVANIA BATH. 2. A SIXLEGGED VERSION OF THE AFRICAN TABLE, PRODUCED IN FIBERGLASSREINFORCED CONCRETE BY SUTHERLAND. 3. DICKINSON AT THE FIREHOUSE.
—HANNAH MARTIN
1. ANTHONY COTSIFAS; 2. AND 3. COURTESY OF SUTHERLAND
T
he last place you 2 might expect to find John Dickinson— the debonair San Francisco decorator whose tailored modernism captivated 1970s cognoscenti before his untimely death in 1982—was a kitschy imports shop. But that’s exactly where he spotted one of his most recognizable muses: an African wood stool perched on three feet. “Its brutal, primitive look was the antidote to the chichi modernity that prevailed,” explains R. Louis Bofferding, the Manhattan decorativearts dealer and Dickinson expert. “So he started to make his own versions in different materials and sizes.” Early examples, like the two owned by designer Michael Formica, were hewn from pine by a carpenter. Soon, though, Dickinson began casting his stools and tables in plaster, with a dash of resin to prevent staining and metal rebar to reinforce the brittle legs. In no time, the African table got a foot in the door with early adopters like Angelo Donghia and Michael Taylor. A herd of like-minded and equally popular spin-offs (Hoofed, Etruscan, Footed) followed. Dickinson loved the plaster’s weight—it forced clients to quit rearranging his furniture—but the material’s fragility meant that the tables were constantly shattering. Not surprisingly, only a few originals still stand (owned by 3 collectors such as Reed Krakoff, Liz O’Brien, and Jane Holzer) and go for soaring prices: One sold for more than $15,000 at Wright in June. Fans less obsessed with provenance can purchase Sutherland’s licensed repros, fashioned from fiberglassreinforced concrete, for a fraction of the cost. “They’re perfect punctuation marks in any room,” says Formica of the designs. “And they make you smile!” sutherlandfurniture.com