I know the name because he designed a bunch of wonderful wrough iron, wood and rattan pieces of furniture for Raymor (I have the bar), and I think he was involved with George Nelson Associates, but I'm not absolutely sure. I find no biographies on the web (isn't it typical?) or on Wikipedia (also typical...few designers are there). Can anyone help? Many thanks.
I would also like to know...
I would also like to know more about this designer...
The rattan & wrought iron bars, chairs and stools are the only designs I have seen attributed to him, except the clocks produced for Howard Miller & Geo Nelson Associated.
I love the Umanoff bars, but my girlfriend thinks any alcohol related furniture is cheesy... I would love to have one of Tony Pauls drink carts as well. Anyone wants to sell one?
Question for Straylight
I like (edit: now have sitting in my dining room) that Umanoff bar cart that was posted some time back (see link). I've seen it and some similar wine racks advertised as straight up McCobb or a hybrid attribution. Other than the similarity with some of McCobb's designs is there some other connection between the two that explains the overlap? Straylight, would you be able to shed some light on this by chance?
Edit: Google search on Umanoff is fruitless. I know he used to design for Shaver Howard based on Straylight's previous posts. The name of the company changed to Johnston Casuals in 1981 (I like Shaver Howard better). I'm going to give them a ring on Monday.
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
No crossover
There is no information to suggest that Paul McCobb and Arthur Umanoff ever even met let alone had any kind of working relationship.
As best I can determine the Paul McCobb attribution for the Bar Carts and Wine Racks was entirely spurious and manufactured out of thin air.
It was probably based, at least in part, on the fact that Paul McCobb did do work in iron in the early 50's and that much of it is very poorly documented (this is no longer the case I now have full documentation for these product lines).
Wishful thinking plus poor scholarship...
The current form of hybrid or dual attribution seems to be the product of people not being willing to let go of the their previously held notions but also being unable to deny the facts, so now they say Umanoff and mention McCobb in the same breath.
A brief history of Arthur Umanoff
Umanoff graduated from Pratt University in the early 50's
His very first furniture designs were produced by Post Modern Ltd a company he was a partner in in the early 50's. At the very start of his career he was involved in all phases of the design process from concept to prototyping and use testing through to merchandising and marketing. These Post Modern Ltd designs were marketed and distributed by Elton, along with work by Tony Paul.
In 1954 he started designing for Shaver Howard producing the Wrought Iron and Wooden Slat chairs, tables bars and bar carts for which he is best known. He will continue designing for Shaver Howard through to the 70's.
In 1961 Storkline Inc. took Umanoff's designs for Shaver Howard and produced them in reduced scale as children's furniture, the furniture line was called "Little Shavers". Umanoff got a little flack in the press for this line as included amongst the pieces was a miniaturized version of one of his wrought iron and rattan bars. Umanoff defended this saying that it was a "milk bar"
His work with Madison Furniture Industries starts in 1963.
His clock designs for the Howard Miller Clock Co. first appear in 1964
During the 70's his designs are produced by an increasing number of companies including Directional, Thonet, Dillingham Furniture, Rouse/Jackson and David Morgan.
He was very good friends with Tony Paul and Ben Seibel.
http://www.arthurumanoff.com
The room divider and... The room divider and candelabra have always been two of my favorite Umanoff designs. As an aside, I once found a Umanoff bar (full size...not the cart) in the garbage about 2 blocks away from my apartment. Not knowing what else to do, I literally bent over, hauled it up onto my back. I somehow managed to get it to the courtyard of my building-where I nearly collapsed. Now its sitting in an attic storage space waiting to eventually find a home.
Raymor Distribution
Much of Arthur Umanoff's 50's and 60's output was distributed Raymor. He was one of Irving Richards stable of designers for this time period along with Tony Paul and Ben Seibel. This includes the wrought iron and slatted wood work he did for Shaver Howard and the Haiitian taverneau wood trays amongst others.
Http://umanoff.blogspot.com
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