Sing Sing Sing armchair

Shiro Kuramata

Shiro Kuramata is one of the most important figures in Japanese design of the second half of the twentieth century. At the intersection of design, architecture, and art, he developed a singular body of work founded on lightness, transparency, and a questioning of the conventions of traditional furniture. Influenced by Japanese culture as much as by Western avant-gardes, he explored the expressive potential of innovative materials such as acrylic, glass, and synthetic resins, transforming everyday objects into true sensory experiences. His Sing Sing Sing chair, created in 1985, illustrates this approach through its airy structure and its dialogue between industrial technology and formal poetry. His Flower Vase #2 and Flower Vase #3, meanwhile, reflect his sculptural approach to the object, where the transparency of the material seems to suspend function in favor of a visual experience. Produced in limited editions, these rare and sought-after creations embody the extreme refinement of a designer who profoundly renewed the language of contemporary furniture. His work is now represented in the collections of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to design and modern art.