II.20 Molar Chair, 1969-1973 (13)

Sculpture

-

Wendell Castle Archives

Name/Title

II.20 Molar Chair, 1969-1973 (13)

Entry/Object ID

sc.0053.0013.1969

Type of Sculpture

Free Standing

Artwork Details

Medium

Gel-coated fiberglass, Vinyl

Collection

Chairs, 1960s, 1970s, Molar Group, AutoPlastic: Wendell Castle

Cataloged By

[email protected]

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Wendell Castle

Role

Artist

Date made

1969 - 1973

Time Period

1960s, 1970s

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Signature

Transcription

Varies

Other Names and Numbers

Other Numbers

Number Type

Catalogue Raisonné Number

Other Number

II.20

Number Type

Studio Number

Other Number

13

Dimensions

Height

26 in

Width

37 in

Depth

32 in

Height

66 cm

Width

94 cm

Depth

81.3 cm

Colors

Color

Red, White, Blue

Color Notes

Molar Chairs were made in different colors, each one single, shiny shade.

Inventory

Inventoried By

[email protected]

Inventoried Date

May 29, 2026

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Detroit Institute of Arts

Place

City

Detroit

State/Province

Michigan

Provenance Detail

Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo State College

Place

City

Buffalo

State/Province

New York

Provenance Detail

The Museum of Modern Art

Place

City

New York City

State/Province

New York

Provenance Detail

Musée des arts decoratifs de Montréal

Place

State/Province

Quebec

Country

Canada

Provenance Detail

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Place

City

Philadelphia

State/Province

Pennsylvania

Provenance Detail

University of New Hampshire

Place

Town

Durham

State/Province

New Hampshire

Provenance Detail

Grace Episcopal Church

Place

Town

Scottsville

State/Province

New York

Notes

Detroit Institute of Arts: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome M. Shaw. Acc. no. 1987.95. Burchfield Penny Art Center: Purchased with funds from the Sylvia Rosen Endowment, 2000. Acc. no. 2000:003:000. The Museum of Modern Art: Andrew Cogan Purchase Fund. Acc. no. 455.1997. Musée des arts décoratifs: Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection. Acc. no. D95.158.1. Philadelphia Museum of Art: Gift of the artist, 1973. Acc. no. 1973-99-1. University of New Hampshire: Acc. no. 1976.5073.

Exhibitions

Nancy Jurs—Wendell Castle
Master Craftsmen
Sitzart
Furniture by Wendell Castle
Wendell Castle: Selected Early Works (1971-75)
The Object of Pop
Designed for Delight: Alternative Aspects of Twentieth-Century Decorative Arts
The Art of the Chair: Western New York Furniture Design
Wendell Castle: Transfigurations in Wood
AutoPlastic: Wendell Castle 1968-1973
Seating Arrangement: Innovative 20th Century Chair Design
Pop Art and Its Affinities
Wendell Castle: Wandering Forms–Works from 1959-1979

General Notes

Note Type

Literature

Note

Donald Albrecht, AutoPlastic: Wendell Castle, 1968-1973, exhibition catalogue (New York: R 20th Century, 2004). Kate Bernard, "Art Mart," Harpers and Queen (Fall 1993). Anne Bony, Furniture and Interiors of the 1960s (Paris: Flammarion, 2004). Ronnie Cook, ed., "Furniture," Details (February 1987). Meghan Dailey, "A Perch with Flair," Art + Auction (May 2010). Andrea DiNoto, Art Plastic: Designed for Living (New York: Abbeville Press, 1984). Martin Eidelburg, ed., Designed for Delight: Alternative Aspects of Twentieth-Century Decorative Arts, exhibition catalogue (Montréal: Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal, 1997). DD Eisenberg, "You Fill the Cavity in This Big, Plastic Tooth," Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, August 2, 1973. Adele Freedman, "Plastic Fantastics Made by Castle the Wood Wizard," Globe and Mail (Toronto, ON), October 4, 1986. Alastair Gordon, Wendell Castle: Wandering Forms—1959-1979 (New York: Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2012). June Hill, "Fun for Furnishings," Chicago Tribune, May 25, 1975. Eve M. Kahn, "Currents: Furniture: The Human Body and Its Parts as Inspiration," New York Times, April 15, 2004. Arlette J. Kleric, The Art of the Chair: Western New York Furniture Design (Buffalo, NY: Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo State College, 2000). Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf, Makers: A History of American Studio Craft (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2010). Dona Z. Meilach, Creating Modern Furniture: Trends, Techniques, Appreciation (New York: Crown Publishing, 1975). Todd Merrill and Julie V. Iovine, Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam (New York: Rizzoli, 2008). Carolyn Meyer, People Who Make Things: How American Craftsmen Live and Work (New York: Atheneum, 1975). Robert C. Morgan, "Wendell Castle: On the Radical Edge of Livable Forms," Wendell Castle: Rockin', exhibition catalogue (New York: Barry Friedman Ltd. and Friedman Benda LLC, 2010). Michael Peppiatt, "For the Love of Plastic," Architectural Digest (May 2004). Christine Pittel, "Furniture as Sculpture," World & I (June 1990). Nancy Princenthal, "Breaching Boundaries," American Craft (August/September 1990). Jean Reeves, "Bright, Plastic World for Furniture 'Collectors'," Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, NY), October 1971. Rita Reif, "U.S. Furniture Designers Find a New Market for Their Talents," New York Times, April, 24, 1971. Carla Jean Schwartz, "Queen of the Castle: Davira Taragin, DIA's Curator of Decorative Arts, Heads the National Wendell Castle Furniture Exhibit," Detroit Jewish News, December 29, 1989. "Take Note: The Goods," Metropolitan Home (July/August 1998). Davira S. Taragin, Edward S. Cooke, Jr., and Joseph Giovannini, Furniture by Wendell Castle (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1989). Pilar Viladas, "Helter Skelter: Pilar Viladas Visits the Other King of Pop," New York Times, Home Design supplement (October 17, 2001). Christopher A. Yates, "Castle's Art Furniture Challenges Convention," Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, OH), September 17, 2000. "Yours, Mine, and Ours," New York Times Magazine (October 4, 1998).

Note Type

Comments

Note

This chair was part of the open-editioned Molar series. Several were made in various colors. It was also available upholstered with stretch-fabric-covered foam. Molar Chair is Castle's first fiberglass piece designed specifically for production as an open edition. Its design was calculated to have enough draft, that is, overall taper, so that it could be removed from the mold in one piece with the gel-coat finish already applied. Castle recounts, "It was only after I'd done some model making that it occurred to me that the chair looked a bit like a tooth. I then refined it to be more molar-shaped." The difficulties of sustained demand prompted Castle to outsource the casting to Northern Plastics, a regional industrial manufacturer.

Created By

[email protected]

Create Date

May 29, 2026

Updated By

[email protected]

Update Date

July 10, 2026