Sori Yanagi

Having the background of studying both art and architecture in school, Sori Yanagi pioneered Japanese postwar industrial design. Born as a son of the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum founder, Soetsu Yanagi, in 1915. He played a role in Japanese modern design developed after World War II to the high-growth period in the Japanese economy. After World War II, he designed many products: furniture, three-wheeled vehicles, Olympic cauldrons, pedestrian overpasses, etc. Sori Yanagi’s organic forms combine western industrial designs with Japan’s native artisanal traditions. Through the decades Yanagi's work has remained faithfully simple and unpretentious, with gentle and rounded forms because they "radiate human warmth". His philosophy and passion towards the organic beauty in his line of work have been appreciated around the world. Most of Yanagi's designs are very simple and beautiful. His products illustrate his thinking: true beauty is not made; it is born naturally. When he created a new product, he made the first versions over and over by hand, seeking new forms that took shape from both new and old ideas. He died in Tokyo in 2011 at the age of 96.