Toshiyuki Kita (b.1942) is a Japanese furniture and interior designer. He was born in Osaka. Professor at the Osaka University of Arts. His earliest pieces, the Wink Chair and the Kick Table, are currently in the New York City Museum of Modern Art and Hamburg, Germany’s Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe.
Biography
He set up his own design office in Osaka in 1964; in 1969, he began designing furniture for Italian and Japanese firms; he collaborated with Silvio Coppola, Giotto Stoppino, and Bepi Fiori for Bernini. He is best known for the 1980 Wink articulated armchair produced by Cassina, which took four years to design; had clients including Tribu, Interflex, and Sharp. Other work included 1983 Kick table by Cassina, 1983 Tomo lamp by Lucci, 1983 Tabola Altabasso table by Casadue; 1983 Icchio lamp by Yamagiwa, 1983 Bone-Rest chair by Johoku Mokko, 1986 Urushi dinnerware range by Koshudo, and 1989 Always table. He designed (with Keith Haring) 1988 On Taro and On Giro tables produced by Kreon. His designs are known for combining humour, technology, and comfort.
Promotion of Traditional Japanese Crafts
Very active in restoring and promoting local Japanese traditional crafts and industries. Producer of the international trade fair for home and lifestyle renovation “Living & Design” and proponent of Japanese lifestyle renovation, the “RENOVETTA” project. He has served as a governmental advisor to Singapore, Thailand, and China to revitalise its design resource. In 2015, his invitational exhibition “Il Lusso Della Natura” was held at Chiesa San Domenico Church in Alba, Italy.
Exhibitions
The Wink chair was shown at the 1981 Milan Furniture Fair, 1983-84 ”Design Since 1945’1945′ exhibition, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and 1991 ”Mobili Italiani 1961-1991: Le Varie Eta dei linguaggi” exhibition, Milan. Received 1975 Japan Interior Design Award for his furniture designs, Mainichi Design Award and 1981 Kitaro Kuni Industrial Arts Prize. In 1987, participated in the tenth-anniversary celebration of Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Recognition
He received multiple international awards include the 1990 “Delta de Oro (Gold Prize)” Award of Spain and the ADI prize “carrier Internazionale of Compasso d’Oro” of Italy in 2011.
He was bestowed with the honorary title of Commendatore by the Italian Republic in 2017.
Recent Publications
His recent publications include “Power of Design”(Nikkei Publishing Inc., 2007), “Local Industry + Design” (Gakugei Shuppan-Sha, 2009), “Venture for Design 1969 – Why I Went to Italy to Design” (Gakugei Shuppan-Sha, 2012), and many more. His DVD “Made with Heart and Soul”, 20 minutes documentary on Kita’s 40 years of collaboration with local Japanese traditional arts and craftsmanship, was awarded the Gold Prize of World Media Festival 2012 (Public Relations/Culture) at Hamburg, Germany, in 2012.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, March 28). Toshiyuki Kita. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:44, December 7, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toshiyuki_Kita&oldid=947861426
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