Nature Form and Spirit - Tapa dura

Acclaimed furniture designer George Nakashima (1905-1990) made boldly original pieces prized for their superb craftsmanship and their organic use of the natural lines and grain of wood. Today his beautiful creations are avidly sought by private collectors and are housed in museum collections all over the world. This survey of Nakashima's life and work written by his daughter, the noted designer Mira Nakashima is the most revealing look we have ever had at this woodworking genius and his profound influence on contemporary design. Mira Nakashima chronicles not only the furniture designs for which her father was best known, but also his equally fine work as an architect. Illustrated with a wealth of photographs never before published and containing much new information from the Nakashima studio archives, Nature, Form, and Spirit is timed to coincide with the release of a full-length documentary film on Nakashima and an exhibition at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. In exploring his personal and philosophic journey, Mira Nakashima provides a remarkable look at the development of an artist whose reverence for nature was at the heart of his creative work.

Mira Nakashima worked for many years with her father, the renowned furniture designer George Nakashima. Since her father's death in 1990, she has been the creative director of the Nakashima studio, where she continues to produce her father's designs as well as designing and developing her own work. She lives with her family at the studio compound in New Hope, Pennsylvania.