This little sculpted drink stand, clearly organic yet simultaneously abstract and Minimalist, expresses surprising primitive energy and dynamism. Its two elements rise and pass each other without touching, seemingly on separate paths in what becomes a kind of dance. They could be plant forms emerging from the soil or perhaps even a pair of cobras rising from the snake charmer’s basket to sway to the rhythms of his flute.

The inspiration, equally surprising, was Vera Mukhina’s famous sculpture “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman.” This renowned Soviet artist presented it at the Paris International Exhibition in 1937, a highly idealized tribute to Russian workers and collectivized farm women. The primary lines of Mukhina’s work are the basis of the table’s form. It is an attempt to capture (without the propaganda) the same dynamic and youthful energy in a piece of functional modern furniture.