A TRIO OF MODERN MASTERS

COLLECTING BRUTALIST AND MODERN PIECES 1950–1970.

- WILLIAM WRIGHT

Every era presents an opportunity to collect the work of favorite designers. For their 1951 Seattle house, Kevin Dodge and Darin Collins have been collecting lighting and sculptural work from three Modern masters: Harry Balmer, Gaetano Sciolari, and Paolo Soleri.

Brutalism is a mid-century modernist designation for architecture and design defined by the use of such raw materials as concrete, glass, and metals. Rough surfaces, hard edges, organic forms, and metallic finishes are common. The name comes from the French term “béton brut,” meaning raw concrete. The American welder and sculptor Harry Balmer, whose works were produced by the Flemington Iron Works and Laurel Lamp Company, made Brutalist and Modern lighting and abstract sculptures that have become collectible. His 1960s works are generally of blackened steel. Balmer also produced wood and iron furniture.