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Kazuhide Takahama
1930
Miyazaki, Japan
Throughout his lustrous career, Kazuhide Takahama fused Eastern and Western design principles for works that sang of a serenity and simplicity while enlivening minds with clean lines and formal restraint, inspired by modern European art while dancing in step with the Japanese philosophy of Zen minimalism. Like works of great art, Takahama’s designs convey an emotional depth that speaks to the soul with soft geometries and a profound clarity of form, streamlined and self-possessed yet always rich in beauty and composed calm.
Born on the Japanese Island of Kyushu, the quietly charismatic Takahama studied architecture at the Tokyo Institute of Technology before joining the practice of Kazuo Fuioka. In 1957, he oversaw the design of Japan’s first pavilion at the Milan Triennale, where he met and began a life-long collaboration with entrepreneur Dino Gavina, principal of Gavina SpA, who later convinced him to work out of Italy where he interacted with some of the world’s most renowned designers and developed his own well-defined design language in an environment abundant with cultural exchanges.
His acclaimed talent for merging the rational with the artistic can be seen in works like the Soari lamp for Nemo, whose singular slit summons the slashed canvases of artist Lucio Fontana, and in his delightfully simple Marcel seating collection whose versality and efficient structure hails a tribute to ready-made artist Marcel Duchamp. With a nod to Bauhaus and modern innovation, Takahama’s Gaja stackable chair and Djuna low tables for Cassina make use of tubular forms that evoke strength and a sense of timelessness, saturating space with a noble tranquility characteristic of his work.
Although he passed in 2010, Takahama leaves behind a catalogue of work still produced to this day by notable brands like Knoll, Cassina, Nemo, and B&B Italia. Whether calling upon the traditions of East Asian rice-paper lanterns in works like the Kazuki lamp or evoking modernized, minimalist-inspired forms as in the semi-circular shelving system Gea, Takahama’s blend of elemental Eastern and Western aesthetics graces prestigious design galleries across the globe as well, set to find a home with discerning clients who value integrity in form and thoughtful luxury.
