Collection Exhibition
Masterpiece from Oda Collection Vol.21 "Verner Panton at 100: Masters of a Shared Era"
DATE
2026/06/03(Wed) - 2026/09/28(Mon)
※6/19(木)～7/2(水)は展示を一時休止させていただきます
TIME
All of the day
SHARE
Collection Exhibition
DATE
2026/06/03(Wed) - 2026/09/28(Mon)
※6/19(木)～7/2(水)は展示を一時休止させていただきます
TIME
All of the day
Higashikawa Town, a principal production area of Asahikawa furniture, has designated the Oda Collection as public property and promotes its use to support the furniture and design industries. This exhibition, "Verner Panton at 100: Masters of a Shared Era," presents chairs by Verner Panton—who marks the centennial of his birth in 2026—together with Joe Colombo and Poul Kjærholm, born in the same era. Through their three distinct approaches, it explores the differing philosophies and aesthetics in their chairs, and the diverse development of twentieth-century design.
When Verner Panton and Poul Kjærholm were born in Denmark, chair-making centered on wood and craftsmanship. In their youth, during the 1940s and 50s, Wegner, Jacobsen, and Mogensen built the golden age of Scandinavian furniture. In time, Kjærholm pursued the beauty of structure through minimal steel forms, while Panton achieved single-piece plastic molding—symbolizing the shift from woodworking to industrial production. Meanwhile, Joe Colombo, from an industrializing Italy, used new materials like plastic and FRP to create numerous futuristic, experimental pieces. Scandinavian craft and Italian industrial design: here you can see the rich development of twentieth-century design born from these two currents.
Panton Chair
Verner Panton
1967
Cone Chair
Verner Panton
1958
Birillo
Joe Colombo
1969–71
Elda
Joe Colombo
1963
Hammock Chair PK24
Poul Kjærholm
1965
Cantilevered Arm Chair PK-13
Poul Kjærholm
1974
Oda Collection consists of furniture and household items with excellent 20th century designs, collected and studied worldwide by chair researcher Noritsugu Oda over more than 50 years. It includes over 8,000 items such as chairs and tables, lighting, tableware and cutlery, and toys, primarily from Scandinavia. Along with related literature, photographs, drawings, and other materials totaling about 20,000 items, this collection is systematically organized and is an extremely valuable collection, unparalleled in the world. Currently, about 1,350 chairs, which form the core of the collection, have been acquired by the town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido, and registered as cultural assets. Through exhibitions and lectures, the collection conveys to many people the joy and inspiration of “for a thoughtfully beautiful lifestyle.”