A Brief History of George Nakashima

George Nakashima was born in 1905 in Spokane, Washington and is widely considered one of the top furniture designers and maker of the 20th Century. After attending the University of Washington and later receiving a Masters degree from M.I.T., Nakashima traveled to France and later to Japan. It was there that he met Antonin Raymond, who is well known for his collaborations with Frank Lloyd Wright and under his tutelage became engaged in the study of Japanese design. After returning to the U.S. in 1940 however, Nakashima’s life took a detour when during World War II, he was put in a Japanese internment camp.

Some would argue that the detour in the camp was not all bad, as this is where Nakashima was first introduced to making furniture and where his passion grew full fledged. While in the camp he studied the art of making furniture with traditional Japanese tools and the techniques used by the grand masters. In 1943, Antonin Raymond came into his life again, he was released from the camp and moved to New Hope, Pennsylvania where he opened his first studio. Nakashima was one of the finest craftsmen of his time and today his works go at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although he passed away, his work continues through his daughter, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, who now runs the studio, still situated in New Hope.