Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

Artist and master craftsman Garry Knox Bennett made the present work for the northern California home he shared with his wife, Sylvia. Though Bennett first became known in the sixties for his handcrafted roach clips, the association with freewheeling hippie counterculture is misleading; a self-proclaimed "blue-collar guy," Bennett is distinguished by his singular alchemy of discipline, resourcefulness, craftsmanship, and artistry—all of which are on full display in this early Tall Lamp Cabinet. Bennett built the cabinet using materials at hand during the construction of his home, combining multiple functionalities into a coherent sculptural piece. Both simple and refined, the piece evidences Bennett's innate sense of materials, scale, and detail—abilities he fluently adapted to jewelry design—and showcases Bennett's uncanny knack for harmonizing an exuberant sense of design with serious respect for craft.