The “Swan Bed”, an enchanted vessel set adrift on the rivers of our dreamland. Like an artifact from a story book tale, where once upon a time there was a land where magic was real. But this can only exist in a time and place that neither ever was nor ever could be. These things belong in a time and place that can only exist deep inside our human physic, in the twilight world between reality and fantasy. Sometimes it takes things like Swan beds to remind us, that dreams can be real.
 
     The “Swan Bed” was inspired by the “Leda and the Swan” story, a Greek god seduces Leda by coming her as her own fantasy thus allowing her to seduce him. It could be said that this piece goes to the heart of that inspiration and uses the same ploy to seduce the viewer to it. Such maybe what is the magic about Brundege’s work. .This Swan Bed is one of two built in 1973. This bed was refurbished at the Brundege studio in 2003. It remains in the Artists collection. Predating the American Art Furniture Movement by nearly two decades, The Romanic”Swan Bed” was controversial at the time of its making, because art and craft were considered as separate entities at that time. This was also of a time when art fashion was less is more and minimalism was in vogue. Highly published and documented it has been referred to as the most significant one piece of art work produced in the Ozarks. The “Swan Bed” is used by Davis text as a teaching tool, as it sets up the discussion for fine art as furniture. The sister to this bed was a commissioned by a New York doctor. There are some differences between the two. Brundege constructed another Swan Bed in 1971, unlike the one pictured it was more like an Egyptian barge. Brundege is now working on his 4th “Swan Bed”. He started construction on this late in 2003; Swan Bed # 4 is to be the aging artist’s master piece. .There will be pictures and updates about this bed on this web site at a later date. The Brundege studio is also working with other studios as to the feasibility of producing more affordable swan beds. These beds are copyrighted as works of art.
 
     The History of swan beds. There are many beds called swan beds. The ones constructed as conventional beds with a swan motif incorporated into the design is not the subject of this history brief. Technically the Brundege Beds are boat beds, simply because they are built to look like boats. There is a brief glance of a beautiful boat bed in a Gloria Swanson movie {it has no swan}. The earliest known Swan bed was built in the 1800s for a millionaire. It may be that this bed or a copy of it was featured in an early movie staring W.C. Fields and May West. .Reminiscent of Victorian park paddle boats and fairy tale illustrations, the concept is a classic. Yet there appears to seven or less such beds ever created.