Arthur Espenet Carpenter

Arthur “Art” Espenet Carpenter (1920-2006) was a woodworker, who was declared a “living California treasure” in 1984. He is most well known for his sleek and distinctive furniture, especially his wishbone chair and desk with scalloped seashell sides.

Inspired by an exhibit at the Musuem of Modern Art in New York, he bought a lathe and began teaching himself woodworking. Art was a founding member of the Baulines Craft Guild and taught many woodworkers who apprenticed under him. His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

Arthur Espenet Carpenter building the Wish Bone chair
Arthur Espenet Carpenter building the Wish Bone chair
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Wish Bone chair, Courtesy of Forrest L. Merrill
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Wish Bone chair. Courtesy of Forrest L. Merrill
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Music Stand, Courtesy of Forrest Merrill, M. Lee Fatheree photograph
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Music Stand. Courtesy of Forrest Merrill, M. Lee Fatheree photograph
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Stool, 1967, California Visionaries: Seminal Studio Craft, Featuring Works from the Forrest L. Merrill Collection, Craft in America
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Stool, 1967
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Stool detail, 1967, California Visionaries: Seminal Studio Craft, Featuring Works from the Forrest L. Merrill Collection
Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Stool detail, 1967