Sculpta-Grille Grille Panel

In 1958, engineer-turned-designer, Richard Harvey, conceived of lightweight yet durable plastic decorative grillwork that could be used for a variety of interior and exterior architectural applications. By 1959, Harvey had designed and manufactured the inaugural line of his Scupta-Grille. The series, known as the Classic Group, was inspired by traditional Persian, classical, and medieval decorative motifs.
The Scupta-Grille was well-received and used in both residential and commercial interiors, including the Western Electric Company in New York City and the Pan Am airline office in the Southern Cross Hotel, Melbourne, Australia. The architects of the Lipton Tea plant in Flemington, New Jersey, employed the sturdy grillwork as an exterior stairway screen. Sculpta-Grille was also featured in interior design magazines, such as House & Garden.
This panel is from Harvey’s Contemporary series, designed in 1960, “to enhance present day architectural settings. The delicacy of this sculpture, combined with depth of form, create[s] a rhythm of motion made possible only by . . . plastics technology.”[1] The panels consist of modules that joined to form free-standing room dividers, large screen walls, ceilings, and other interior or exterior fittings. The panels were available in white as well as custom colors and metallic finishes. Sculpta-Grille was in production until 1974, when Harvey closed his design firm and left the United States to resettle in Israel, where he launched an architectural model fabrication business.
[1] “Sculpta-Grille® Contemporary Series: C-10 and C-1090, Text from original brochure, 1965,” http://www.richardharveydesign.com/contemporary_series_c10.html

Sculpta-Grille Grille Panel; Designed by Richard Harvey; Manufactured by Harvey Design Workshop, Inc. (United States); USA; injection molded plastic (tenite-butyrate); Overall: 40.7 x 34 x 11.5 cm (16 x 13 3/8 x 4 1/2 in.); Gift of The Harvey Family; 2006-12-1