George Nakashima

George Katsutoshi Nakashima (May 24, 1905 – June 15, 1990) was a Japanese American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th Century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement. Born in Spokane, Washington, He attended the University of Washington and received his Masters in Architecture from M.I.T. During WWII, he was placed in an internment camp where he learned woodworking from a Japanese carpenter. Drawing on Japanese designs and shop practices, as well as on American and International Modern styles, Nakashima created a body of work that would make his name synonymous with the best of 20th century American Art furniture.