Rocker with Free-Edge Arm by George Nakashima
View Similar Items
Rocker with Free-Edge Arm by George Nakashima
About the Item
- Creator:George Nakashima (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 34.5 in (87.63 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Pawtucket, RI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU909916183832
George Nakashima
A master woodworker and M.I.T.-trained architect, George Nakashima was the leading light of the American Studio furniture movement. Along with Wharton Esherick, Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle, Nakashima was an artisan who disdained industrial methods and materials in favor of a personal, craft-based approach to the design. What sets Nakashima apart is the poetic style of his work, his reverence for wood and the belief that his furniture could evince — as he put it in the title of his 1981 memoir — The Soul of a Tree.
Born in Spokane, Washington, to Japanese immigrants, Nakashima traveled widely after college, working and studying in Paris, Japan and India, and at every stop he absorbed both modernist and traditional design influences. The turning point in Nakashima’s career development came in the United States in 1942, when he was placed in an internment camp for Asian-Americans in Idaho. There, Nakashima met a master woodcarver who tutored him in Japanese crafting techniques. A former employer won Nakashima’s release and brought him to bucolic New Hope, Pennsylvania, where Nakashima set up a studio and worked for the rest of his life.
Nakashima’s singular aesthetic is best captured in his custom-made tables and benches — pieces that show off the grain, burls and whorls in a plank of wood. He left the “free edge,” or natural contour, of the slab un-planed, and reinforced fissures in the wood with “butterfly” joints. Almost all Nakashima seating pieces have smooth, milled edges. Nakashima also contracted with large-scale manufacturers to produce carefully supervised editions of his designs. Knoll has offered his Straight chair — a modern take on the spindle-backed Windsor chair — since 1946; the now-defunct firm Widdicomb-Mueller issued the Shaker-inspired Origins collection in the 1950s.
Nelson Rockefeller in 1973 gave Nakashima his single largest commission: a 200-piece suite for his suburban New York estate. Today, Nakashima furniture is collected by both the staid and the fashionable: his work sits in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as in the homes of Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Diane von Furstenberg and the late Steve Jobs.
- George Nakashima Buckeye Burl Table LampBy George NakashimaLocated in Pawtucket, RIBeautiful large George Nakashima table in lamp with a cruciform base in buckeye burl and walnut. Lamp is is excellent condition and in working order. Lamp comes with a letter of ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBurl
- Sam Maloof Rocking Chair 1979 , With Special Provenance.By Sam MaloofLocated in Pawtucket, RIBeautiful, iconic and perfectly executed early walnut Sam Maloof rocker from 1979. A very Special chair with exceptional provenance and in excellent ori...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Ceramic Sculpture by Michael CohenBy Michael CohenLocated in Pawtucket, RILarge gold lustre and stoneware ceramic sculpture by Massachusetts potter Michael Cohen. Executed at Herring Run while sharing a studio with William Wyman.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic, Stoneware
- Mahogany Cabinet by Kaare KlintBy Kaare KlintLocated in Pawtucket, RIExtremely well-constructed and elegant cabinet in Cuban ribbon mahogany by Kaare Klint and manufactured by Rud. Rasmussens, Denmark. Cabinet features two pull-out surfaces below two ...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Paul Laszlo Custom Dining Table with Lucite TopBy Paul LaszloLocated in Pawtucket, RIDining table with beautifully carved base and beveled-edge Lucite top by Paul Laszlo.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsLucite
- Coffee Table by Edward Durell StoneBy Fulbright Furniture, Edward Durell StoneLocated in Pawtucket, RI1940s slatted oak bench designed by noted architect Edward Durell Stone for Fulbright furniture.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsOak
- George Nakashima Slab-Arm RockerBy George NakashimaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLA fine example of this form. The family requested an extra wide slab -arm. Signed with the clients name.Category
Vintage 1960s American Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWood
- A MID-CENTURY-MODERN FREE-FORM ROCKING-CHAIR in G. NAKASHIMA style, France 1950By George NakashimaLocated in PARIS, FRAn elegant rocking chair with generous lines, Modernist, Free Form, Reconstruction, of Dansk, Scandinavian inspiration, in carved solid light wood, sometimes attributed to and certai...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 19th Century American Platform Rocker with Footstool by George HunzingerBy George HunzingerLocated in Southampton, NYRare George Hunzinger solid dark walnut platform rocker with new upholstery. Back seat cushion was custom made more recently to fit the back. George ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Eames Lemon Yellow Zenith Rope-Edge, RAR Rocker by Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Highland, INThe first fiberglass Eames chairs were produced by Zenith Plastics. The early Zenith shells are distinctive for their high fiber content and larger, more substantial rubber shock mou...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Umber Rocker Modern Low Rocking Chair in Walnut with Crafted Arm DetailBy TréologyLocated in Papanui, ChristchurchThe Umber Rocker is the Rocking chair version of our iconic Umber Chair. The Umber Rocker is a comfortable modern walnut rocking armchair with a crafted arm detail. Designed to sit comfortably in its own space, the Umber Rocker offers a low, laid-back sitting position for relaxed enjoyment. Perfect as a wooden easy chair...Category
21st Century and Contemporary New Zealand Modern Rocking Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Antique Bamboo Rocker in the George Hunzinger StyleBy George HunzingerLocated in Bellport, NYA charming little rocker with all the bells and whistles of the George Hunzinger style. Handcrafted and upholstered in a modern woven beige and green top grade fabric. Excellent cond...Category
Antique 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Rocking Chairs
MaterialsBamboo
