LOTHAN KLUTE BRUTALIST COFFEE TABLE

Lothar Klute trained initially as a blacksmith in rural Germany before studying sculpture in Aachen. He created several public sculptures in Berlin in the 1970s, and works from a smithy and sculpture park — Galerie Klute in der Waldemai — built on the site of an old slate mine near Schmallenberg. Every piece that left his forge was made by hand, and it shows. Klute worked directly with high-end clients throughout his career to produce custom, one-of-a-kind pieces meaning no two tables are identical.

This example is characteristic of his rectangular tables from the 1970s and 80s: six panels of thick cast glass in a pale aqua hue, each etched with a circular motif, set into a hand-forged iron frame with brass corner finials and pad feet. The legs are slender and tapered, the frame darkened to a deep patina. The pairing of raw forged iron with delicate cast glass — industrial weight against translucent light — is the central argument of Klute's work, and here it holds completely. A signed, collectible piece from one of Germany's most distinctive postwar designer-craftsmen.

LOTHAN KLUTE
GERMANY, 1980'S
47" x 35" x 19¾"