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| Antiques & Collectibles |
Out of the Woods
Catherine Bindman
05/03/2004
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Certainly it seems that the new fascination with Nakashima’s work
can be partly related to the early ’90s escalation of interest in both
mid-century modernism and in the American studio and craft movements.
“We had
been collecting mid-century modern furniture, as we have a house from this
period outside the city,” says Voss. “We were collecting Eames, Nelson, McCobb.
The house is in Bucks County right near Nakashima’s studio. One day I woke up
and decided we should be buying it, too. The best mid-century modern designs
seem to float above the floor—unlike the arts and crafts pieces which are more
grounded. Nakashima’s stuff is like this.” And, as Aibel’s other clients have
demonstrated, it can be appreciated in the context of an even wider range of
aesthetic tastes—Asian design, Zen interiors, American folk art and country
furniture, 20th-century design in general. It works on many different
levels.
Satisfying Synthesis
In market terms, next to established European
modernists and their American counterparts, Nakashima’s unique furniture pieces
begin to look like bargains. In 1994, for example, the classic Nakashima
armchair sold at auction for $275 while a group of four equally classic Charles
Eames DCW side chairs went for $575 each. As Aibel is quick to point out, “In
the early 1990s, when the interest in mid-century design was beginning to
escalate, they were selling an Eames chair for far more than a Nakashima, but
the Eames was mass-produced. I thought, ‘People have to catch on to this.’”
The robust practicality of Nakashima furniture also gives it an everyday
appeal. Nakashima himself stated in a letter in 1944 that his aim was to create
pieces that represented a “synthesis between the sound tradition of east Asian
workmanship and modern American life.” Nakashima’s cabinets, tables and chairs
are not only beautiful and sometimes dramatic objects that can serve as
showpieces in large rooms, they also are well suited to modern lifestyles in
which children are not generally relegated to separate wings. “George made
pieces to be used,” says Aibel.
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