George Nakashima Furniture and Designs to be Presented in Major Exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum

The largest exhibition of works in over a decade by furniture designer and architect George Nakashima will be on view at the Japanese American National Museum from September 12, 2004 through January 2, 2005. George Nakashima: Nature, Form & Spirit features rare examples of Nakashima’s furniture and designs created from 1943 until his death in 1990. Approximately 50 Nakashima pieces, including benches, tables, chairs and cabinets from the private collection of the Nakashima family and from other private collections around the country, are presented with prints, photographs, sketches and archival materials.

The exhibition reflects a renewed interest and appreciation for Nakashima’s work, as evidenced by recent record-setting auction prices for Nakashima’s furniture. It is intended as a tribute to his achievements and further proof of his skill as a woodworker and artist.

“George Nakashima: Nature, Form & Spirit offers visitors the opportunity to reevaluate the work of an often under-recognized but pivotal designer of 20th-century America,” said curator Karin Higa. “The exhibition not only affirms Nakashima’s place in mid-century design history, but also reveals how his experiences as a Japanese American were central to his work.”

Mingei International Museum in San Diego originated the exhibition. The Los Angeles presentation of the exhibition is curated and expanded by Karin Higa of the Japanese American National Museum, with Mira Nakashima (daughter of George Nakashima) as a curatorial consultant.

THE EXHIBITION

George Nakashima: Nature, Form & Spirit features high quality furniture illustrative of Nakashima’s innovative and distinctive woodworking style. All of the furniture on view exemplifies Nakashima’s creative vocabulary—characterized by one-of-a-kind pieces utilizing slabs of free-edged wood in which the wood’s natural features (such as line and grain) ultimately determine the design.

On view are some of Nakashima’s earliest works created immediately following his release from the World War II U.S. concentration camp in Minidoka, Idaho. These early works, such as Milk House Table, 1943, and Slab Coffee Table, 1945, demonstrate Nakashima’s early interest in modernist design, as well as a relationship in his work to historic examples of Japanese and Shaker furniture.

Masterpieces from Nakashima’s lifetime oeuvre featured in the exhibition include samples from Nakashima’s “Conoid” series, such as Conoid Cross-Legged End Table of black walnut, 1960, and Conoid Bench, 1989; and his “Minguren” series, such as the large Minguren I English oak burl table created in 1965. An upholstered Settee from 1956, the Kent Hall Lamp, 1972 (designed in 1964), and a Sled-Base Coffee Table, 1990 (designed in 1973), further demonstrate the wide range of Nakashima’s talent and production.

The most recent example of Nakashima’s work presented in the exhibition—Tsuitate Standing Piece, 1989—was created during Nakashima’s last year of active design and conceived as a major piece for a retrospective of his work at the American Craft Museum in New York.

In addition to furniture in the exhibition, a selection of Nakashima sketches and a large-scale architectural drawing—often pre-dating his work as a furniture designer—offer further insight into his development as an artist and craftsman.

Photographs of Nakashima, his furniture and his architecture presented in the exhibition further contextualize Nakashima’s career and influences. On view are important photographs by acclaimed modern architecture photographer Ezra Stoller, such as a wide-angle view of the interior of Nakashima’s Conoid Studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Rarely seen 1940s War Relocation Authority photographs of Nakashima in the concentration camp at Minidoka (including one showing him hand-planing a block of wood) further reveal how early experiences as a Japanese American played an important role in his development as a designer and craftsman.

Further highlights of the exhibition include four prints by American social realist artist Ben Shahn (1898–1969) in specially constructed wood frames by Nakashima, and a mounted Bitterbrush branch from 1942—cherished by Nakashima as a relic from his World War II incarceration at Minidoka.

GEORGE NAKASHIMA

Furniture designer George Nakashima’s (1904–1990) exquisite creations merged traditional woodworking techniques with innovative design, resulting in work that demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship coupled with a reinterpretation of modernist design. A Nisei, Nakashima was born in Spokane, Washington, raised in Seattle, and traveled and worked in France, Japan, and India in the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II, he was incarcerated at Minidoka and was released in 1943 to relocate to New Hope, Pennsylvania, where he established his studio. His commissions include furniture for the home of former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

CATALOGUE

The book, Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima, accompanies the exhibition. Written by Mira Nakashima, daughter of George Nakashima and noted designer in her own right, the fully-illustrated book chronicles George Nakashima’s life and presents photographs on Nakashima’s life, architectural projects and furniture designs—many never before published. Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima is on sale at the Japanese American Museum store for $75. It can be ordered by calling the National Museum store at (213) 830-5865.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Two major public programs support the exhibition. On Sunday, September 12, beginning at 2 p.m. at the National Museum, designer Mira Nakashima, daughter of George Nakashima, will give a lecture on her father’s works and the family business that she still runs. She will also sign her book, Nature, Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima.

Furniture designer and maker Sam Maloof will give a lecture on his work on Sunday, October 17, beginning at 2 p.m. at the National Museum. Maloof, whose signature rocking chair and other pieces earned him a place as one of America’s master furniture makers, was a contemporary of George Nakashima.

Additionally, two family programs entitled, “Make Your Own FUNiture”, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 9, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, November 13, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Please visit www.janm.org for current event information.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

The Japanese American National Museum is dedicated to fostering greater understanding and appreciation for America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by preserving and telling the stories of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Since its incorporation in 1985, the National Museum has grown into an internationally recognized institution, presenting award-winning exhibitions, groundbreaking traveling exhibits, educational public programs, innovative video documentaries and cutting-edge curriculum guides. The National Museum raised close to $60 million to renovate an historic building in 1992 and opened a state-of-the-art Pavilion in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo Historic District in 1999. There are now over 60,000 members and donors representing all 50 states and 16 different countries.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Japanese American National Museum is located at 369 East First Street in the historic Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org. Museum hours are Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Museum admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 for students and children (ages 6–17). Admission is free for Museum members and children under age six. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Reservations are required for public programs. Public programs are free for Museum members or with paid admission. Metered street parking and public parking lots are conveniently located near the Museum for a nominal fee.

Guided group tours are available for this exhibition. For reservations, call (213) 830-5601 or e-mail groupvisits@janm.org.