The present early 'How High the Moon' two-seater sofa is one of the three original iterations of the design and was purchased to furnish the Tokyo boutique of fashion designer Kyoko Higa in 1987. Produced by manufacturer Terada Tekkojo and sold exclusively at Idée's flagship store in the district of Aoyama, the striking piece represents themes central to Kuramata's oeuvre in both its use of industrial material as medium to blur the boundaries between art and design, and the artist's characteristic imbuement of cerebral musings into his designs: in this case, the endeavor to minimise gravity while simultaneously occupying expansive volume through the use of planes of porous mesh welded to construct the sofa's visually massive form. A later, limited edition of 30 was produced in the 1990s by Ishimaru Co. Ltd.
The present early 'How High the Moon' two-seater sofa in the fashion designer Kyoko Higa’s boutique, Tokyo, 1988.
Photo: Courtesy of MODEetMODE, Tokyo, Japan
The Japanese fashion designer Kyoko Higa in front of the present early 'How High the Moon' two-seater sofa in her fashion boutique, Tokyo, 1988.
Photo: Courtesy of MODEetMODE, Tokyo, JapanProvenance
Mr. S. Kugaten, Tokyo, acquired directly from the retailer, Idee shop, Aoyama, Tokyo, 1987
Kyoko Higa, Tokyo, gifted from the above, 1987
Acquired from the above by the present owner, 1996Literature
Deyan Sudjic, Shiro Kuramata: Essays & Writings, London, 2013, pp. 102, 114, 139-40, 161 for the armchair version of the model
Deyan Sudjic, Shiro Kuramata: Catalogue of Works, London, 2013, pp. 340, 346 for the armchair version of the modelCatalogue Essay
Phillips wishes to thank Mieko Kuramata and Kyoko Higa for their assistance in cataloguing the present lot.
Artist Biography
Shiro Kuramata
Japanese • 1934 - 1991
Shiro Kuramata is widely admired for his ability to free his designs from gravity and use materials in ways that defied convention. After a restless childhood, his ideas of being an illustrator having been discouraged, Kuramata discovered design during his time at the Teikoku Kizai Furniture Factory in Arakawa-ku in 1954. The next year he started formal training at the Department of Interior Design at the Kuwasawa Design Institute. His early work centered on commercial interiors and window displays. In 1965, at the age of 31, he opened his own firm: Kuramata Design Office.
Throughout his career he found inspiration in many places, including the work of Italian designers (particularly those embodying the Memphis style) and American conceptual artists like Donald Judd, and combined such inspirations with his own ingenuity and creativity. His dynamic use of materials, particularly those that were transparent, combination of surfaces and awareness of the potential of light in design led him to create objects that stretched structural boundaries and were also visually captivating. These qualities are embodied in his famous Glass Chair (1976).
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Early 'How High the Moon' two-seater sofa
designed 1986, produced 1987
Nickel-plated steel mesh, nickel-plated steel.
72.5 x 155.5 x 82.5 cm (28 1/2 x 61 1/4 x 32 1/2 in.)
Manufactured by Terada Tekkojo for Idée, Tokyo, Japan. Together with letters addressed to the present owner from Mieko Kuramata and Kyoko Higa.
Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000
Sold for £177,800
Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com
Design
London Auction 2 May 2024
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