On Wednesday, May 30th, PIASA will present its American Design sale, showcasing rare and iconic pieces of furniture from across the Atlantic. Amongst these, a unique armchair in massive wood by artist and designer J.B. Blunk.
Lot 88 - J. B Blunk (1926-2002)
Fauteuil - Pièce unique
Estimation : 45 000 - 65 000 €
Sculptor, ceramist, designer, James Blain Blunk is known mainly for his work with wood within the California Arts and Craft movement. After studying the art of ceramics at UCLA, Blunt was drafted in Korea before conducting an apprenticeship in Japan, with renowned potters Kitaoji Rosanjin and Kaneshige Toyo. During his stay, he met Isamu Noguchi, with whom he developed a strong friendship. He thus became the first American to explore the exclusive world of Japanese ceramics. His return to the United States at the end of the 1950s brought him to Northern California, where he built his workshop and home near San Francisco. He then began using the local woods and clay, which would remain his main working materials up to his death in 2002.
I began making wood sculpture in 1962. I knew how to use a chainsaw and it was one of those things – one day you just start.
His works, often crafted from sequoia, are remarquable by their massive and abstract aspect, as well as their ambiguous position between art, craftsmanship, and functional furniture. The fabrication process finds its source in a purely practical consideration: lacking any formal training in joinery and without proper tools, J.B. Blunk chose to sculpt his pieces with a chainsaw and chisel in massive pieces of cypress and sequoia. Japanese inspiration is ever-present in his work, linking artistic creation and the force of nature. Thus, his furniture seems to grow organically from the ground and floor, keeping the shapes of the original tree.
The piece presented by PIASA is a remarkable example, where the trunk is hollowed out, evoking the Californian tree-tunnels, and creating a natural niche for the sitter. The tree’s shape and its texture remain, with a rough exterior protecting an almost completely smooth seating. According to Isamu Noguchi, J.B. Blunk honors the tree remains he uses, “carving them as he does, finding true art in the working, allowing their ponderous bulk, waking them from their long sleep to become part of our own life and times, sharing with us the afterglow of a land that was once here“.
J.B. Blunk will collaborate closely, as soon as 1970 and for several decades, with Rick Yoshimoto. His works have been shown around the world, most notably at the Smithsonian Institute of Washington D.C., at the New York Museum of Arts and Design, at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, or in Tokyo’s Museum of Modern Art.
