Emil Milan
Serving Piece

Emil Milan, American woodworker born in in 1922, was a trained sculptor. Assisted by the G.I. bill, he attended the Arts Students League in New York and made various wooden goods there. After years of creating throughout the New York Metropolitan area he moved to Pennsylvania, where he turned his barn into a studio. Milan concentrated on creating functional pieces, primarily producing wooden bowls, spoons, trays, candlesticks, shoehorns, etc. His works are in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery, the Yale Art Gallery, the Center for Art in Wood, the Museum of Art and Design, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many private collections. Once prominent in midcentury modern design, Milan slipped into obscurity after his death.[1] His legacy has been revived by an extensive biographical research project that has led to renewed interest in his life, work, and influence. Milan passed away in 1985.