Art et Industrie was not a typical SoHo gallery. Nor was its proprietor, Rick Kaufmann, a typical SoHo gallerist. His wares were inscrutable objects that hinted at utility. Were they art or were they furniture? Mr. Kaufmann died on Nov. 2 in Carbondale, PA. He was 77.

Mr. Kaufmann, an incubator of what might be called the New York chapter of the art furniture movement — that is furniture made by artists, in single or limited editions that could sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Hugues Magen, a fellow gallerist said this to The New York Times: “It was so forward thinking to be presenting furniture that people couldn’t sit on.”

Howard Meister chair: Luiz Corzo, via Superhouse