Conoïd, bench
designed (1971); manufactured (c. 1975)
- Medium
- Walnut (Juglans sp.), Hickory (Carya sp.)
- Measurements
- 81.0 × 246.5 × 97.2 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Takamatsu, Shikoku, Japan
- Inscription
- branded on underside of seat: Nakashima
- Accession Number
- 2021.557
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased NGV Foundation, 2021
Photo: © Xavier Defaix - Gallery location
- Level 3, NGV International
- About this work
-
In 1946 George Nakashima established his workshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, producing limited edition and bespoke timber furniture. Nakashima’s reverence for trees and their majestic beauty was fundamental to his approach. He sourced his own logs and milled them before storing the slabs, often for years. Many of the logs were hundreds of years old and Nakashima loved that his furniture offered the trees a second life, allowing the beauty of the grain and their natural flaws to be appreciated. Nakashima’s work is celebrated for combining traditional craftsmanship with a highly refined contemporary aesthetic.