George Nakashima

Commissioned directly from the artist, 1967

Thence by descent to the present owner

George Nakashima, The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections, New York, 1988, p. 178 (for a related example)

Mira Nakashima, Nature Form & Spirit: The Land and Legacy of George Nakashima, New York, 2003, p. 83 (for a drawing of a related example)

This lot is offered together with the original order card.

Joe Caroff stands among the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, his work shaping the visual identity of modern cinema with rare precision and restraint. Most famously, he created the definitive James Bond “007” gun logo, an image as inseparable from the franchise as the character himself. Most of his movie design work included the posters themselves, in addition to the dominant logo.  His oeuvre encompasses a number of era-defining designs, including the dynamic slashed lettering of West Side Story, and acclaimed graphic work for films such as Manhattan, Last Tango in Paris and Cabaret. Together, these five icons exemplify Caroff’s extraordinary ability to distill narrative into enduring form.

George Nakashima’s Wall Cabinets, commissioned directly from the artist by Caroff in 1967, stand as an exceptional example of Nakashima’s bespoke work. The cabinets at once exude an aura of dignified serenity and exacting discipline, testament to Nakashima's philosophy, strongly influenced by his Japanese ancestry, that permeates both Nakashima’s personal life and his practice. His daughter Mira Nakashima describes: “[T]he soft, feminine lines of natural wood contours carefully trimmed and shaped to gently speak their message, and the stronger, masculine supports minimized, mercilessly cut, fit, and drilled, often of cracked, overstressed and imperfect planks, and joined to each other as silent supporting members of an integrated whole. Apparently, the readily perceived peaceful aspect of his work was not possible without the warlike drive of the other; both were part of the formation of Nakashima’s design, and of the personal and professional aspects of his life.” In a harmonious marrying of natural contours with meticulous craftsmanship, Japanese sensibilities with American design, and utilitarian practicality with inspirational aesthetic, the present lot stands as a beautiful and important example of the Japanese-American designer’s production.