New York based collector Todd Merrill is credited for recognizing the significance of and popularizing post-war American design works. Todd Merrill Studio is also a pioneer in providing support artists to create unique, collectible designs that are developed through a hands-on approach intersecting design, fine art, traditional craft and pioneering innovation.
Todd Merrill at his studio in New York, USA
Shalini Passi: You are credited with being one of the first gallerists to recognize the significance of twentieth-century American design, and for popularizing pieces from this era; when did you first realize the potential of selling works from this period, and when did you decide to make it your focus?
Todd Merrill: Our vintage specialty is post-war or late 20th Century American custom and studio design. In 2000, when I opened my first gallery, the focus was on mid-century modern design but mostly mass-produced pieces like Eames and Herman Miller. What was forgotten were the small custom shops and studio artisans who had been making some of the most unique design in western history. Artists like Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, George Nakashima, Vladimir Kagan, Karl Springer, and Wendell Castle had been mostly forgotten. Some of these had been immensely popular, and some like Evans and Springer produced some of the most high concept and expensive furniture available in the world just a few decades before.
I started to buy extraordinary pieces that had little or no documentation. We began to hunt for Evans, Powell, Springer and our clients responded by scooping up every piece we offered. I knew immediately that this was an overlooked and very important era in the history of design. At this point I began to write my book Modern Americana, High Craft to High Glam, first published by Rizzoli in 2008 and then republished for the ten-year anniversary with new chapters in 2018. This book was the first substantial publication to document this movement in American design from 1945 to 2000.
Shalini Passi: Do you have a favourite designer from the twentieth century; what do you consider to be their most iconic piece, and why?
Todd Merrill: I don’t like to play favorites but my personal pick is Paul Evans. His work is really art masquerading as furniture. He was a sculptor and artist. He began making furniture to make a living. Nothing like his work had ever been seen and to this day, because of the difficulty in making the al-welded steel studio pieces, nothing like it has since been made. His work will stand the test of time. It is interesting to note that the European market recognized him early on in 2000 and began collecting his work before he was re-recognized in America. I would bring his work to shows in Paris to exhibit and everyone knew him, while no one knew him in America. Today his work is now widely sought worldwide.
Paul Evans, Forged Front Wall Mounted Console, 1970
Shalini Passi: Todd Merrill Studio sets out to showcase exhibitions that demonstrate a singular artistic vision and unprecedented point of view, which is an excellent ambition but also a huge challenge to deliver on an ongoing basis; how do you continue to find these pioneering visionaries?
Todd Merrill: We have evolved to now represent over thirty international contemporary artists making in the same continuum as Evans, Nakashima, and Powell. These singular visionaries are working with their hands, driven by their own innate talent. The artists know we will provide support and a good home for their work. It has been working well.
Shalini Passi: I strongly believe in bringing together creative disciplines and treating them with equal importance; how do you navigate the intersection of contemporary design, fine art, traditional craft techniques, and pioneering innovation? How else do you think we can work to dissolve these long-held, established artistic boundaries?
Todd Merrill: If the work is extraordinary the clients will buy it – the categorizations are becoming increasingly irrelevant. What is high end design that is not functional? I would say it’s probably art by old school definitions though it’s still considered design or craft. This seems less important every year.
Jean Luc Le Mounier, Plume, 2019
Shalini Passi: Which artists/designers/makers are you most excited about at the moment?
Todd Merrill: Currently we are showing a few artists who are pushing the bounds of how materials are used – Marc Fish is doing incredibly refined and elegant work by combining wood and resin. His Ethereal Series is the highest level of bespoke craftsmanship available in the world today. On the same level, but working in different materials, is Jean Luc Le Mounier. Using technology and the ancient craftsmanship of traditional French makers he is making extraordinary highly collectible pieces. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Brecht Wright Gander making show-stopping functional design that looks like it came from another world. He is combining materials from resin to papier mâché, wood, metal epoxies, all in ways that have never been done before. All are exciting and pushing design to a new 21st century level.
Marc Fish, Ethereal Series Lounge Chair and Ethereal Series Chair, 2019
Shalini Passi: What is the Studio’s ambition for the year ahead? Can you tell us anything about your programme for 2020?
Todd Merrill: In 2020 we will continue adding to our roster of artists. We have been working with a handful of new talent who will make their debut with us at shows like Collectible in Brussels, PAD Paris, Design Miami Basel and others. We have been guiding and advising these artists as they develop new collections. Through every step we are providing support, guidance and encouragement, often pushing them to think beyond their usual limits.
Brecht Wright Gander, (from L to R) Swamp Pet Planter, Pretty in Pink Lamp, Archon Lamp, 2019
Todd Merrill is the founder of the gallery Todd Merrill Studio, located in New York. He has established himself as a specialist in American studio furniture. In an effort to highlight the works of contemporary studio artists, Merrill has launched Studio Contemporary in 2009 which represents an international group of established and emerging artists.
Discover more about Todd Merrill and his studio at toddmerrillstudio.com
Lionel Jadot, Babel Crane, Blue Tie Roofing, and Rolling Throne, 2019
Find out more about designers, craftsmen, artists and art collectors at
