Who is Tokujin Yoshioka, Designer and Master of Glass?

The artist creates pieces that display the energy of nature, with glass and crystal being his preferred materials.

12.04.2019

Glass Tea House - KOU-AN (2011-) ©Yasutake Kondo

Tokujin Yoshioka, who has won over a dozen prizes in design including the Milano Design Award 2017, is a disciple of Issey Miyake. He cut his teeth working for big international brands like Cartier, Hermès, Swarovski and Louis Vuitton. The latter paid homage to him by including another of his creations, the Blossom Vase, in its prestigious collection of Objets Nomades.

This vase, blown in Italy and inspired by the Louis Vuitton monogram, is one of the smallest glass objects created by Tokujin Yoshioka, who often works on a larger scale. This can be seen in his first Water Block (a glass bench on display at the Musée d’Orsay), his Transparent Japanese House and his Chair that Disappears in the Rain (2003).

In 2015, his Glass Tea House – KOU–AN, in Tokyo, enjoyed international success. Tokujin Yoshioka’s work extends beyond glass in various projects: he notably recreated an artificial tornado using thousands of straws and reinvented his first Water Block, this time in golden brass.

Glass Tea House - KOU-AN (2011-)

Glass Tea House - KOU-AN (2011-) ©Yasutake Kondo

Glass Tea House - KOU-AN (2011-)

Blossom Vase (2018)