Named a James Renwick Alliance Master of the Medium in 2011, Garry Knox Bennett is celebrated for his irreverent and unconventional approach to materials and design as well as his magnificent technical abilities. Born in Alameda, California, Bennett was raised by his grandparents and would later enroll at the California College of Arts and Crafts, where he studied drawing, painting, and metalworking. Bennett opened his first studio in northern California in the 1960s, making jewelry as well as roach clips: "I was the roach clip mogul of the world for a while,” he recalled in his oral history interview with the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. He went on to create many celebrated, one-of-a-kind pieces including his infamous Nail Cabinet and an extensive variety of chairs. Works by Bennett are included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among others.
All lots in the James Renwick Alliance for Craft Auction are of the primary market, unless otherwise indicated. They are being sold with all proceeds going to the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) and will be shipped directly from the artist or the gallery. For each of these lots, Rago is waiving the seller’s commission and donating the buyer’s premium in full to the JRA.
