Bernhard Rohne for Metallic Design Studio Brutalist Etched Copper Wall Art, 1979

A large and impactful Brutalist etched copper work of wall art by Bernhard Rohne for Metallic Design Studio, signed, numbered, and dated.

German-born, Vancouver-based artist and designer Rohne possesses a singular adroitness at combining artistic vision with scientific techniques, and it’s on exceptional display here. Rendered on copper plate—rather than on the more commonly seen brass—it’s a crisply etched, acid-bathed abstract work full of fluidly applied designs and flaming forms that feels simultaneously sci-fi and surreal, mechanical and organic, with an almost Incan or Mayan-like aesthetic.

Signature, number, and date hand-etched by the artist at lower left. Mounted on wood board with black vinyl frame. On verso is a label for the award-winning Metallic Design Studio, of which Rohne was the founder, and with which he would produce celebrated works in a similar vein for Mastercraft via Baker Furniture showrooms.

Recounting the accidental discovery he made in 1965 while an art student at Werkkunstschule Hannover that resulted in his innovative techniques and distinctive artistry, Rohne said: “The very hot reaction of the acid on the metal plate had created an interesting deep structure and gestalt. I had suddenly and unexpectedly entered a marriage-like relationship between metal and my imagination.”

Dimensions: Height: 31.5 in
Width: 47.5 in
Depth: 1 in
Condition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. In very good vintage condition. A few extremely light surface scratches on the right side that are very hard to discern within the overall design. Minimal signs of age/wear otherwise.