While in San Diego over Labor Day weekend, I visited the Mingei Museum. I thought it would be a good way to spend the afternoon with my mom. It was air conditioned. I had no idea the museum would have a number of George Nakashima pieces in its permanent collection. I love George Nakashima. His studio was only a stone's throw from my childhood home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I passed it many times as a teenager, hanging out in New Hope on weekends, but it was never open to the public.
The stools pictured above were included in an exhibition called True Blue. They stood in a corner of the museum temporarily dedicated to indigo.
This chest was tucked away in another corner of the upstairs gallery. What I love best about Nakashima's work is that it is simple and reveals the perfect beauty of the wood itself. Look at the handle and the deep, rosy color of the panel:
I mean, come on!
This bench, pictured below, appeared on the ground floor near the main stairwell. There was a massive Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture floating above it, near the ceiling. The golden figure was adorned with strips of neon light and cast crazy shadows.
When I spotted the bench, I walked over to snap a picture. A woman was sitting on it, having a conversation on her phone. I didn't really want her to be in the picture. I stood very close to her as she chatted away. She eventually got up and left.
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