Synopsis
Acclaimed designer George Nakashima (1905-1990) is best known for his furniture, which is prized for its superb craftsmanship and its organic use of the natural lines and grain of the wood. Nakashima was also an architect who designed a number of distinguished buildings during his career. Most importantly, he was a man committed to the integration of his work, his daily life and the natural world. the artist, exploring the philosophical ideas that lie beneath his work. Told by his daughter, colleague and successor, designer Mira Nakashima, this book presents the development of an artist and his profound influence on contemporary design., Acclaimed furniture designer George Nakashima (1905-1990) made boldly original pieces prized for their superb craftsmanship and their organic use of the natural lines and grain of wood. Today his beautiful creations are avidly sought by private collectors and are housed in museum collections all over the world. This survey of Nakashima's life and work written by his daughter, the noted designer Mira Nakashima is the most revealing look we have ever had at this woodworking genius and his profound influence on contemporary design. Mira Nakashima chronicles not only the furniture designs for which her father was best known, but also his equally fine work as an architect. Illustrated with a wealth of photographs never before published and containing much new information from the Nakashima studio archives, Nature, Form, and Spirit is timed to coincide with the release of a full-length documentary film on Nakashima and an exhibition at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. In exploring his personal and philosophic journey, Mira Nakashima provides a remarkable look at the development of an artist whose reverence for nature was at the heart of his creative work.