What an incredible piece this is! At Foursided we can't always acquire the background, history and artist information for the art we frame. This time there is a wealth of resources available. Our astute clients acquired this intricate paper sculpture at a Wright Auction for Irving Harper's sculptures in Chicago in January 2016 where it stood out amongst many stunning works.
Harper was a designer and artist who created some of the most iconic forms of American mid-century design. He is best known for the 1949 Atomic Ball Clock, the Herman Miller logo, and the 1956 Marshmallow Sofa in addition to these now classic paper sculptures. Harper never sold the sculptures himself, but displayed them in his home and made them solely for his own pleasure. This particular piece is made entirely with construction paper, Elmers glue and colorful tape. The sculpture was housed in a worn acrylic case when it came to Foursided for framing.
Relocating the delicate structure to a custom frame helps to increase its longevity especially as acid free materials were not used in its construction. We choose a charcoal gray shadowbox frame and this time made the walls to match the frame itself instead of the paper backing on the piece. This creates a more dramatic, set-back shadowbox environment with a contemporary vibe. You can see the full original auction catalog here or check out more of these incredible paper sculptures in Michael Maharam's book: Irving Harper: Works in Paper.
*First interior image from pufikhomes.com
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