Ward Bennett

Ward Bennett (né Howard Bernstein and also known as Howard E. Bennett, November 17, 1917 – August 13, 2003) was an American designer, artist and sculptor. The New York Times described his work as defining "an era."

Early life and education

Bennett was born as Howard Bernstein and later the owner of a restaurant, though he continued to act. His mother was the former Emelia "Emily" Einsheimer. He had an elder brother, Louis Bernstein (a.k.a. Erwin Bennett). They once lived at 506 Fort Washington Avenue, Apartment 4D, in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in New York City

Bennett started working in the Garment District at age 13. He became a shipping clerk at Chin Chin Crepe. Shortly thereafter he started working for Hattie Carnegie, where he reportedly designed the costumes for Gertrude Lawrence in Lady in the Dark. After visiting Europe he decided to become a designer. He studied at Académie de la Grande Chaumière. He studied under Constantin Brâncuși.

Work

In 1944 his ceramics were in the Whitney Museum annual exhibition. After visiting and returning from Mexico, he showed his jewelry at the Museum of Modern Art. In the mid-1940s he started doing interior design. His first work was a Manhattan apartment that he designed to have floors made of cork and white bookshelves. He was known for his monochromatic schemes. In the 1970s he was resident designer at Brickel Associates.

He designed the "University Chair" for Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. As of 1979 he had designed over 100 different chairs. He had a strong interest in chair design because he had back problems of his own. An oral history with Bennett is held by the Archives of American Art.