Sam Maloof: 36 Views of a Master Woodworker

The first craftsman to receive a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award," a man whom his friend and fellow furniture maker Jimmy Carter called "the best woodworker that ever lived." Sam Maloof was one of the great masters of midcentury modernism. His pieces' sensuous design and immaculate workmanship elide any distance in critical perception between craft and art, and his furniture is found in museums and private collections throughout the world. Warm and gregarious, Maloof was loved by those who knew him. His Southern California compound became the hub of a rich network of artists and artisans; and today, even after his death, thousands of visitors pass through his home and workshop every year to catch a glimpse of a life so rich in beauty. This book weaves together the words of family, friends, and associates to present thirty-six perspectives on Maloof. Far from the solitary genius we often imagine a creative person to be, the person who emerges from these stories is both proud product and anchor of his community. Surprising and illuminative, Sam Maloof places creativity-and the creative spirit-at the heart of our culture.