Gea Wooden Side Tables attributed to Kazuhide Takahama for Gavina, 1960s,, Set of 2

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Description

Kazuhide Takahama (Nobeoka, 1930 - Bologna, February 10, 2010 ) was a Japanese architect and designer. Born in 1930, he … Read more Kazuhide Takahama (Nobeoka, 1930 - Bologna, February 10, 2010 ) was a Japanese architect and designer.

Born in 1930, he studied architecture in Tokyo and after graduation joined the studio of Kazuo Fujioka.

In 1957 he came to Italy to supervise the architectural layout of the pavilion with which Japan participated for the first time in the XI Triennale di Milano, where he met the designer and entrepreneur Dino Gavina (1922-2007) with whom he undertook a professional collaboration that it would last a lifetime. Consequently in 1964 he moved to Bologna and went to work as a furniture and lamp designer in the San Lazzaro factory.

In 1968 Gavina sold his company Gavina SPA to Knoll International, with the related factory in Foligno designed by Achille Castiglioni, and together with Maria Simoncini (1927-2010) founded the Simon international manufacturer (later acquired by Cassina) and the year later the exhibition and commercial center named after Marcel Duchamp opened in Bologna with the participation of the famous Dadaist painter and photographer Man Ray.

In these new locations, Takahama was able to collaborate with the famous architect and designer Carlo Scarpa and in the following years he carried out an intense professional activity which led to the creation of furniture and lamps of various types, which still constitute as many works of art, characterized always with great simplicity and formal cleanliness and very often rigorous like Zen compositions.

His colleagues said that he was so silent as to be called "the man of stone" but his presence was clearly perceptible.

Takahama continued to carry out his activity as a designer until his death in 2010.
This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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