From the Ant, to the Egg, to the Swan

Although perhaps slightly introductory for true design aficionados, the lecture on Arne Jacobsen at the 92Y in New York last week provided some interesting anecdotes about the designer’s life and work. Michael Kaminer – who writes about pop, culture, travel, food and “Jewish stuff”, and only recently discovered Jacobsen (read his recent article featured in the Jewish Daily Forward www.forward.com/articles/108766) kept the conversation lively with genuine (though sometimes rudimentary) questions. On the other hand, noted architect Marc B. Spector spoke about one of Denmark’s most influential designers from a more scholarly point of view.

A slide show with images of the designer’s work ran throughout the lecture
to remind us of the quality and breadth of his designs. The Swan chairs the speakers sat in, and the #7 chairs that flanked the central stage were further examples of breathtaking designs. A modernist, he also embraced the qualities of Scandinavian design highlighting the idea of a simple lifestyle based on the ideals of nature. He always maintained a close relationship with nature, and I was interested to discover Jacobsen’s passion for horticulture and the hours he spent tending his garden. Such passion is reflected in the almost perfectly integrated landscapes that often accompanied his architecture.

He was also, apparently, a solitary and private individual, rarely interacting with other people and even limited his meetings with clients to one or two during the entire course of a project. He developed a close friendship with designer Alvar Aalto when Jacobsen was forced to flee Denmark after the 1943 invasion by Germany (Jacobsen was of Jewish descent though non-practicing). Aalto housed Jacobsen in Sweden for two years. There Jacobsen focused on textile and wallpaper design due to the lack of facilities to continue his industrial design work.

“From the Ant, to the Egg, to the Swan,” Jacobsen became most famous for his chairs, though his contributions to the field of architecture and design also include the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen, the Danish Embassy in London, St. Catherine’s College in Oxford, and the renowned minimalist flatware he designed for George Jensen.

Jacobsen covered a broad spectrum of architecture and design, “mastering the cross-pollination of both fields” in a unique way, that according to Spector no other architect or designer has achieved to date.

- Natalia del Rivero

Out of the Woodwork

Is there anything left to say about George Nakashima and his furniture that hasn’t already been said in his own book (The Soul of a Tree) and in books about him (Nature, Form & Spirit) and in numerous magazine articles and films (Craft in America) and museum catalogs (George Nakashima and the Modernist Moment)?

Chair for St. Paul’s Church, Karuizawa, Japan, made of peeled cyptomeria branches and sea-grass and made in 1936

As it turns out, quite a bit, as clearly evidenced by the current show of Nakashima’s work at Robert Aibel’s Moderne Gallery in Philadelphia. Titled “Early Furniture by George Nakashima, 1936–1956: The Architect Designs,” the exhibit features 55 vintage works (some on loan from museums, private collectors, dealers, and the Nakashima family) that are intelligently juxtaposed with 13 later works, providing a rich overview of the evolution of Nakashima’s design thinking.

For example, there’s the diminutive grass-seated chair that Nakashima made in 1936 for St. Paul’s church in Karuizawa, Japan. With its straight back posts basically made simply from tree limbs, bark still intact, it looks like it just emerged from the forest. That chair contrasts nicely with Nakashima’s more familiar Grass-Seated Chairs (one an early commission for René d’Harnoncourt, former director of MoMA) and with a chronological progression of Straight Chairs in which style, details, and proportions morph smoothly from the past to the present, from hand-crafted to Knoll mass production.

Left: Ligne Revolving Chair, a new piece from the Shoki line by Mira Nakashima, based on earlier drawings by her father, George. Right: Wall-hung walnut chest with burl pulls, built in 1951. Photo by Michael J. Joniec

When George’s daughter, a designer in her own right, Mira Nakashima, was searching through the studio in preparation to donating its archives to the James A. Michener Museum of Art in Doylestown, PA, she came across her father’s drawings for pieces that were never produced. So, to add to the historical perspective, Mira has created a new line of desks, tables, and chairs called Shoki (“Early Years”) that is based on those drawings, which themselves have been blown up and artfully hung on the gallery walls by show designer Gruber Design Associates.

This is an exhibition with coherence and excitement as well as pure scholarly, educational value. Note, too, that 50 or so of the pieces in the show are available for purchase, one of which—a 96-inch long walnut hanging shelf with four double drawers and burl handles—is quite spectacular and arguably wins honors for best in show.

—Tom Voss

Early Furniture by George Nakashima, 1936–1956: The Architect Designs is on view until December 2 at. Moderne Gallery, 111 North Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, (215) 923-8536

FROM OUR SPONSORS AT CENTER 44

A George Nakashima spindle back settee from the mid 20th century.

From the Peter Roberts Store http://center44.com/Home/Dealers/details/params/dealer/3403/default.aspx

A chandelier comprising a brass stem holding five adjustable brass boom arms with multicolored enameled shades, each arm ends with enameled handle in its corresponding shade color, by Arredoluce. Italian, circa 1950.

From Italian Mid Century http://center44.com/Home/Dealers/details/params/dealer/2479/default.aspx

24k gold leaf over plaster mirror by Lawrence De Martino. Signed and dated 2002.

From Avalon store http://center44.com/Home/Dealers/details/params/dealer/3402/default.aspx