Official Launch of the New Abrams’ Publication “Nature, Form, and Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima”

A Celebration of the Nakashima Legacy

Exhibition dates: Friday, November 7, 2003 – Saturday, January 17, 2004
Opening Reception and Book Signing with author Mira Nakashima
Saturday, November 8 6 to 9 pm

Philadelphia, PA (August 2003) Moderne Gallery in Old City will kick off a nationwide celebration of the life and legacy of George Nakashima with its fourth major exhibition and sale of vintage works by the legendary and highly influential Japanese-American master craftsman (1905-1990). Nakashima’s studio craft furniture, expressing his philosophy of giving “a second life to a tree,” is more and more revered as a cornerstone of 20th century classic design, and increasingly appreciated by designers and collectors alike.

The Moderne Gallery exhibition, “A Celebration of the Nakashima Legacy,” is presented by owner/director Robert Aibel as a tribute to George Nakashima, the Nakashima family and in particular Mira Nakashima, George’s daughter, author of the major new book Nature, Form, and Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., the 276-page book includes 265 illustrations (160 in full color) and sells for $75.

On Saturday evening, November 8, Moderne Gallery will host a celebratory Opening Reception and the Official Launch of Nature, Form, and Spirit from 6 to 9 pm, bringing together the immediate family of George Nakashima, workers from the Nakashima studio, design professionals, scholars, journalists, friends, collectors, woodworkers, students, and many others interested in the life and legacy of George Nakashima. Books will be available for purchase and Mira Nakashima will be present to autograph these on request. For further information about attending the Reception, please call 215-923-8536

The exhibition “A Celebration of the Nakashima Legacy” will display a wide variety of tables, chairs, benches and case works designed and crafted by George Nakashima, showing the span of his career, as well as pieces by Mira Nakashima, who continues to produce handcrafted furniture at The Nakashima Studio in New Hope, PA. Most items are available for purchase.

“A Celebration of the Nakashima Legacy” will be on exhibit from Friday, November 7, 2003 to Saturday, January 17, 2004 at Moderne Gallery, 111 N. Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Hours: 11 am to 6 pm, Tuesday Saturday. Call 215-923-8536 or see www.modernegallery.com
Books will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition.

The publication of the new Abrams’ book by Mira Nakashima is the occasion for several Nakashima-related events nationwide. In addition to the Moderne Gallery “Celebration,” these include: a panel discussion with Mira Nakashima at Bard College in New York, November 6, the exhibition “The Maker’s Hand: American Studio Furniture, 1940-1990” at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (November 12, 2003 ñ February 8, 2004), including a George Nakashima chair and coffee table; the exhibition “George Nakashima Woodworker” at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA (November 23, 2003 – May 30, 2004); a lecture by Mira Nakashima at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, December 3, 2003.

Moderne Gallery will present several major pieces of Nakashima furniture at the Modernism Show, November 13 to 16, 2003 (Preview: Nov.12) at the Park Avenue Armory, New York City.

“Both long-time collectors and younger, newer buyers appreciate the quality and the variety of his work as well as the enduring appeal of George Nakashima’s eye for great wood, his originality and his extraordinary craftsmanship,” says Aibel. “All Nakashima furniture is at once evocative, physically beautiful and functional.”

“Though prices have consistently and dramatically risen over the past 10 years, these one-of-a-kind pieces are always in demand,” says Aibel. Today the furniture of George Nakashima is one of the most important and growing vintage markets in the U.S.

The work of George Nakashima has been exhibited and sold at Moderne Gallery since 1985, though this was not widely known until the Gallery’s 1994 show and sale, “Zen Modernism: The Furniture of George Nakashima.” In 1998 Moderne Gallery initiated a joint project with The Nakashima Studio titled “The Nakashima Tradition: Origins and Continuity.” These exhibits were greeted with great enthusiasm and visited by thousands of people. In 2001 the Gallery expanded on the Nakashima works regularly shown in the Gallery with the exhibition George Nakashima: Designing Nature, which focused on the contribution made by the master craftsman’s unique approach to the interaction and juxtaposition of the “natural” and “design” elements of his furniture.

“Most importantly, these projects led to a closer and very rewarding friendship with Mira Nakashima – a superb designer in her own right,’ says Aibel. “Like Mira, I hope that exhibits at Moderne Gallery, at The Nakashima Studio, at major museums – and now the beautiful new Abrams’ book — will lead a larger audience to experience and understand anew the many levels of the Nakashima legacy.”

Robert Aibel continues to develop mutual interests with the Nakashima family. He serves as a consultant to Mira Nakashima on a regular basis, providing appraisals for museum exhibitions and advising her on publications, including the new book from Harry N. Abrams. Over the years he has become a prime source of information on Nakashima furniture and market trends and is known for maintaining the integrity of the market in 20th century furnishings and decorative arts.