George Nakashima Artist and Craftsman
LiveAuctionTalk.com
Photo courtesy of Freeman’s.
With their roots buried in the earth and their limbs puncturing the sky, woodworker George Nakashima believed trees have been the silent witnesses to most of our civilization throughout time. What secrets might they reveal given a voice?
It was beneath a fig tree that Buddha was said to have had his awakening. It was to Jonah that God supposedly sent a tree to provide shade and teach compassion.
Nakashima’s words and life reflect a man who lived among trees, wood and the tools for working with wood. He could hear what the trees were saying.
“When trees mature, it is fair and moral that they are cut for man’s use, as they would soon decay and return to the earth. Trees have a yearning to live again, perhaps to provide the beauty, strength and utility to serve man, even to become an object of great artistic worth.”
“When trees mature, it is fair and moral that they are cut for man’s use, as they would soon decay and return to the earth. Trees have a yearning to live again, perhaps to provide the beauty, strength and utility to serve man, even to become an object of great artistic worth,” Nakashima said.
An artist and craftsman Nakashima brought the wood he rescued to life once more through the extraordinary furniture he created. He studied the grain carefully, incorporated natural forms into his designs and produced objects of undeniable artistic worth.
His intention was to encourage humans to live in harmony with nature rather than destroy it for their own use. But it was Nakashima’s philosophy and approach to life and woodworking that made him unique.
People who knew him said he was one of the quietist and serene persons they ever met. He was a student of East Indian mysticism and also descended on both sides of his family from samurai. He described his woodworking as a spiritual activity.
He purchased a nine-acre property in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The compound was made up of houses and studio buildings designed and built by Nakashima, which served as family homes and studio space. There he created pieces he hoped would convey a feeling of tranquility radiating out into the world.
Nakashima’s father immigrated to America from Japan and settled in Seattle. George was born in 1905. The woodworker said he spent his youth roaming the mountains of the Pacific Northwest by himself in search of inner peace which he suspected he would never find.
He went on to build a career where he had complete control over all the aspects of design and construction, a completely integrated process. Much of his work was in protest against the dehumanizing effects he saw in mass production.
His intention was to create pieces that were both beautiful and comfortable for the human body. Hand craftsmanship was critical to him.
Nakashima is first and foremost an artist and craftsman. He died in 1990 leaving behind a rich legacy of work in chairs, tables and cabinetry.
On May 12, 2022, Freeman’s featured a selection of Nakashima pieces in its Design auction.
Here are some current values.
George Nakashima
Conoid Cushion Chairs, pair; American black walnut; hickory, upholstery each signed and dated: "George Nakashima April 1976;" New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1976; 33 ½ inches high by 34 ½ inches diameter; $40,950.
Double Sliding-Door Cabinet, American black walnut, pandanus, oak; Studio notation: "3229"; New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1966; 31 5/8 inches high by 72 inches wide; $44,100.
Double Sliding-Door Cabinet American black walnut, pandanus cloth; Studio notation: "Show Room;" New Hope, Pennsylvania,1960; 32 inches high by 60 inches wide; $47,250.
Conoid Desk; English walnut; walnut, rosewood, hickory; New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1972; 29 inches high by 93 ¾ inches long; $75,600.
Conoid Bench, English walnut; American black walnut; hickory; New Hope, Pennsylvania, Studio notation: "Studio"; 1968; 31 inches high by 97 ½ inches long; $94,500.
