George Nakashima And the Modernist Moment

With his spiritually-inclined philosophy and his decision to establish his career in rural Pennsylvania, Japanese-American furniture designer George Nakashima has always existed within a mythology of craftsmanship that celebrates regionalism and the handmade. Yet, as this catalogue shows, he also belongs within the practice of mid-century European modernism, amongst a roster of artists including Charlotte Perriand, Carlo Mollino, Jean Prouve, Alexandre Noll, and Finn Juhl, with whom he shared a respect for that which is visible in the details. Details, as they all knew, reveal a belief that materials and construction are not only functional, but are also aesthetic, complex, and precise.