GINZA

Ginza, designed by Masanori Umeda for Memphis in 1982, amazes us with its form that references the world of robots in Japanese science fiction, legendary in the 1970s and 1980s and now part of our collective imagination.

Carefully crafted in lacquered wood, faced in decorative laminate with chromium-plated metal parts, Ginza is a remarkable multifunctional object that can be used as a bookcase and as a storage cabinet with drawers and shelves.

Undoubtedly one of the most iconic Memphis creations, Ginza – which ironically takes its name from one of the most glamorous districts of Tokyo – fully embodies the playful, exuberant spirit of Memphis.

Masanori Umeda graduated from the Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo in 1962. In 1967, he moved to Milan and worked in the studio of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. From 1970 to 1979, he was a consultant for the design and furnishing systems studio at Olivetti, where he met Ettore Sottsass. In 1981, Umeda designed his most famous Memphis piece: the Tawaraya Ring, in which the founding members of the group were photographed by Studio Azzurro in a shot that became one of the most iconic Memphis images. A synthesis of East and West, Tawaraya combines, as a metaphor for conversation, a boxing ring with the tatami mats of traditional Japanese interiors.

W 150, D 42, H 175 cm; 105 kg