Shiro Kuramata

Shiro Kuramata was born in Tokyo in 1934, the son of a vice-director of a scientific institute. Design influenced Kuramata at an early age, as the artist studied woodcraft at Tokyo Polytechnic High School in 1950. Five years later, he entered into the department of Interior Design at the Kuwasawa Design Institute. Not soon after graduating, Kuramata briefly worked in the Advertisement Department of San-ai Co., Ltd., which manufactured products for technology. In 1965, Kuramata left to establish his own design office, where he utilized industrial materials to create beautiful forms. His career exploded after that, and Kuramata went on to receive such prestigious awards as the 1972 Mainichi Industrial Design Award and the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1990. Although Kuramata passed away in 1991 at the age of 56, his works continued to be featured in galleries and museums such as the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. In 1997, "Shiro Kuramata 1934-1991" went on an international tour, and was shown in Mexico City, San Francisco, New York, Montreal, Paris, Vienna and Kyoto.