Sam Maloof
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Sam Maloof | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 24, 1916 |
| Died | May 21, 2009 (aged 93) |
| Occupation | Woodworker |
| Spouse | Alfreda Louise Ward |
Sam Maloof (January 24 1916[1] - May 21, 2009[2]) was a furniture designer and woodworker. He was born in Chino, California, USA, to parents who emigrated to the United States from Lebanon.[3] He attended high school first at Chaffey High School in Ontario, California, where he took his first woodworking class and was recognized by his art teacher as having extraordinary skill, and later at Chino High School. Shortly after completing high school, he began working in the art department of the Vortox Manufacturing Company in Claremont, California. He was drafted into the United States Army on October 11, 1941.[4] After serving in the Pacific theater and then transferring to a post in Alaska, Maloof left the army in 1945 to return to Southern California.
Maloof married Alfreda Louise Ward on June 27, 1948 and the couple moved into a house at 921 Plaza Serena, Ontario, California where Sam set up a furniture workshop in the garage. Mostly from necessity, Maloof designed and built a suite of furniture for his home using salvaged materials. Commissioned pieces followed, and from 1949-1952 Maloof continued working in the garage of his Ontario home. In 1953, Maloof relocated to Alta Loma, California where he built a studio to continue making furniture.
Maloof's work is in the collections of several major American museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum[5]. In 1985 he was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" grant. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan have both owned Maloof rockers.[1][3][6]
Sam Maloof resided in Alta Loma, California, a neighborhood community in the City of Rancho Cucamonga. On a former citrus orchard are his home, his furniture shops and the site of the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts.
References
- ^ a b "Woodworker to speak at school", Press-Enterprise, October 5, 2006
- ^ Renowned woodworker Sam Maloof dies, Press-Enterprise, May 22, 2009
- ^ a b Sam Maloof - Taunton Press
- ^ Adamson, J., "The Furniture of Sam Maloof", Smithsonian American Art Museum, W. W. Norton & Company, 2001
- ^ Maloof Curriculum Vitae, Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation For Arts and Crafts.
- ^ Harrington, Walt. - "An American Craftsman" - This Old House Magazine - March/April 1998
Bibliography
- "The Collector & The Craftsman," Palm Springs Modernism catalog, February 2006, pp. 34-35 by Jeffrey Head
External links
- "Sam Maloof". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian Institution.
- "A Visit with Sam Maloof" - D.J. Marks
- Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts
- Pictures of Sam's Work
- Video Library: A Woodworking Experience with Sam Maloof - at the Wood Working Channel
- Sam Maloof dies at 93; A look inside his workshop
- Location of Maloof home, workshop, and foundation 34°9′40.7″N 117°36′57.2″W / 34.161306°N 117.615889°W (34.1613, -117.6159)
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