by We’ve had the Wharton Esherick Museum and Studio in Malvern, Pennsylvania, on our radar for a long time now, but it has been nearly impossible to get tickets as each hour-long tour can accommodate just eight guests. Finally luck turned our way and we were able to get tickets!
Wharton Esherick (1887-1970) was an artist and sculptor, primarily working in wood. He was known for his “ability to transform utilitarian objects into art.” He began his career as a painter, studying impressionism at the Philadelphia Academy of Art, but then turned to working with wood.
Esherick’s early woodwork focused on carvings on objects, such as the chest pictured, but later the objects themselves were the works of art, such as tables and desks. He was successful during his lifetime, with his work featured in exhibitions hundreds of times.
The Esherick family purchased a home in Malvern, but Wharton was in need of a studio far enough from the house not to be disturbed. Starting in 1926, he designed and constructed his studio in the Arts and Crafts style, and he continued to add to and modify it over the following decades. (See cover photo to this post.)
Wharton designed most of the furnishings inside the studio, from the furniture to the door handles and light pulls. More than 300 pieces of Wharton works are on display inside, including sculpture, paintings, and furniture. The studio tour is truly a delight. The buildings are absolutely stuffed with works of art and interesting design elements.
In 1928, Esherick built a log garage in the German Expressionist style. Eventually he moved out of the family home and into his studio, so in 1956 he constructed a workshop alongside the garage for additional working space. Today the garage serves as the visitor center, and the workshop was converted to living space after-the-fact and is not part of the tour (though can be viewed on special tours).
The original home occupied by the family was separated from the studio property and sold many decades ago, but in 2014 it was reacquired. However, it is not presently not open for tours, as it is in need of extensive renovation to return it to the proper appearance, and the museum is still working out a plan.
Wharton lived on the property until his death in 1970.
