abenseibeldesign

Biographical Information

Photo copyrighted by Michael Kaplan

 

A brief bio from The Daze, March 1997, written and copyrighted by Michael Kaplan.

"Ben Seibel was born in 1918 in Newark, New Jersey.  He and his two sisters were raised by a mother who supported the family sewing clothing for dolls, then fashioning and sewing dresses for women.  Her success enabled the family to move to Manhattan where she opened a shop on Greenwich Village, selling her own jewelry designs.   Ben was an accomplished musician, playing piano as well as saxophone, clarinet, oboe, and flute.  He began studying architecture at Columbia, interrupted by army service.  After his discharge in 1945, he continued his education at Pratt Institute, changing his concentration to industrial design.  Without completing his academic career, he set up his own studio where he worked with a small staff until his death in 1985 at age 67.  His output, prolific and varied, included dinnerware, glassware, stainless steel flatware, metal and wood tabletop accessories, furniture and lamps."

A brief bio from 1951 Furniture Forum:

"...studied painting under Schanker, sculpture under Amino and architecture at Columbia University.  With his background he became interested in Industrial Design and attended Pratt Institute until he joined the Air Force, where he spent three and a half years.  Returning to civilian life, he worked on the design staffs of Raymond Spilman and Morris Sanders until 1947 when he opened his own office to practice industrial design.  Mr. Seibel says that the study of sculpture has been one of the most important forces in his approach to design."