Kazuhide Takahama studied architecture at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and subsequently joined Japanese designer Kazuo Fujioka’s architectural practice. In 1957, he oversaw Japan’s very first pavilion at the Milan Triennale, and it was there that he first met the Italian designer Dino Gavina, the founder of Simon Internationale, with whom he would collaborate for the rest of his career. Takahama was fascinated by modern art and was especially taken with the Dada movement of the early 20th century, which proved to be a constant source of inspiration in his work. The designer’s aesthetic was characterized by a harmonious blend of a classical Japanese style with European artistic influences. This fusion of genres only heightened after Takahama relocated to Bologna in 1963, where he drew upon the European art and design canons to explore new possibilities with traditional Japanese practices such as origami and with mediums like lacquered wood. It was in Italy that Takahama further developed his relationship with Gavina, who propelled the Japanese designer’s career.
In a 1971 collaboration with renowned French designer François-Xavier Lalanne, who was known for his fantastical and surrealist motifs, the pair developed several pieces including the present model “Rhinocèros” screen. The panels are screen-printed with a colorful illustration of one of Lalanne’s iconic animal motifs. The work combines a quintessentially Japanese medium and form with the playful spirit of Lalanne’s practice.
Provenance
Acquired in Milan circa 1982
Literature
Simon International, Ultramobile, sales catalogue, Italy, 1970s, p. 21 Fondazione Scientifica Querini Stampalia, ed., Dino Gavina: Collezioni Emblematiche del Moderno dal 1952 al 1992, Milan, 1992, p. 94
“Rhinoceros” five-panelled screen, from the “Ultramobile” series
circa 1976 Lacquered and serigraph-printed plywood, rubber. Each panel: 86 1/2 x 17 3/4 x 3/4 in. (219.7 x 45.1 x 1.9 cm) Produced by Gavina for Studio Simon, Bologna, Italy.