Miss Blanche

With only 56 pieces produced, Miss Blanche is a rare piece, designed as a homage to Miss Blanche Dubois in “A Streetcar Named Desire“ (1951) by Tennessee Williams (1911-1983). This acrylic chair is the first on a series of works by Shiro Kuramata in which he explored the expressive potential of the material. The combination of components of this piece – acrylic body and aluminum legs – reflects the designer’s experimental approach quite well. However, the use of the artificial roses was a never confirmed speculation, although it is said those are a direct reference to the flowers printed in the costumes of the play that gave the chair its name. Determined to create his own distinctive forms and break free from conventional processes, Shiro Kuratama was heavily inspired by Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) and collaborated with him during the early years of the Memphis Group, in the 1980’s, influence that can be seen on this piece.