Shiro Kuramata

produced by Ishimaru Co., Ltd
acrylic, artificial roses, anodised aluminium

Galerie Yves Gastou, Paris
Private Collection, France, 1989
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Yves Gastou, 'Shiro Kuramata', 8-20 November, 1989

Matthias Dietz, Japan Design, Cologne, 1992, pp. 74-75
Pierre Kjellberg, ed, Le Mobilier du XXe Siècle: Dictionnaire des Créateurs, Paris, 1994, p. 349
Makoto Uyeda, ed., Shiro Kuramata: 1934-1991, exh. cat., Tokyo, 1996, pp. 26-27, 39-40, no.1, p. 48, 187, no. 8, p. 192, no. 4
Alexander von Vegesack, et al., 100 Masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum Collection, exh. cat., Weil am Rhein, 1996, cover, pp. 179, 204-205
Domus, no. 788, December, 1996, p. 56
Charlotte & Peter Fiell, eds, 1000 Chairs, Cologne, 2000, p. 599
Jean-Louis Gaillemin, ed., Design Contre Design: Deux siècles de créations, exh, cat., Paris, 2007, p. 301
Anne Bony, Meubles et Décors Des Années 80, Paris, 2010, p. 154
Shiro Kuramata and Ettore Sottsass, exh. cat., Tokyo, 2010, p. 68 for a drawing, pp. 69, 208, 211, no. 27
Deyan Sudjic, Shiro Kuramata: Essays and Writings, London, 2013, pp. 77, 104-105 
Deyan Sudjic, Shiro Kuramata: Catalogue of Works, London, 2013, p. 362, no. 541

Overall very good condition consistent with age. A few faint, scattered surface scratches to the acrylic, concentrated to the seat. One very minor nick to the front edge of the seat. One light surface scratch to the front right armrest proper approximately 1 cm in length. The anodized metal legs with very slight and even fading which is natural for this metal and only visible when disassembled. Presents very well overall.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Named after the famed Blanche Dubois from Tennessee William’s play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Shiro Kuramata’s iconic ‘Miss Blanche’ chair was first exhibited at the exhibition KAGU, held during Tokyo Designer’s Week at Axis Gallery Annex in 1988, a year before its Paris debut at Galerie Yves Gastou in 1989, from where the offered lot was purchased.  Kuramata had envisioned exhibiting the chair in Paris during the design process: ‘Take this chair [Miss Blanche]: I was determined from the start to bring it to Paris. That’s what inspired me… Don’t look for logic. It comes from an image – the one of France, or Europe – that I made for myself. It’s a feeling.’   The exhibition was an unqualified success, with every piece, including the prototypes, finding buyers.  

The technicalities involved in the production of ‘Miss Blanche’ were complex: the design required that each artificial rose be held in place for extended periods of time until the resin had hardened sufficiently. Experiments with natural roses were conducted, but the flowers would burn up in the acrylic resin, prompting a serendipitous moment when Kuramata decided ‘...it has to be fake [materials] because Blanche Dubois is a fake.’ 

Reflecting the age at the time of his death in 1991, only 56 models of ‘Miss Blanche’ were produced.  Versions of the chair are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Vitra Design Museum.