Wood Wizard

The expert craftsmanship of contemporary designer Sam Maloof is featured in the exhibition, The Furniture of Sam Maloof, which opens today at our Renwick Gallery.

This event marks the first full-scale exhibition of Sam Maloof's celebrated sculptural furniture over his 50-year career as a designer-craftsman and a leader in the American craft movement.

In 1985, he was the first craft artist to receive a coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship or "genius" grant. Best known for his graceful, exquisitely crafted and extraordinarily comfortable all-wood rocking chairs—enjoyed by three U.S. presidents—Maloof has slowly evolved classic furniture designs that are both beautiful and utilitarian.

Come to the Renwick Gallery to see the show, visit our online exhibition, and check out our numerous public programs!

Today the artist leads a tour of the exhibition at 2:00 P.M. and signs copies of the exhibition catalog. Tomorrow at 2:00, Sam Maloof gives a lecture and hosts a reception.

Pictured: Sam Maloof, born 1916, Double Rocking Chair, 1992, fiddleback maple and ebony, 42 5/8 x 42 x 44 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Hafif Family Foundation, the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase made possible by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program.