, was a Japanese

textile designer Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he produced numerous innovative designs which inspired the beginning of a new era. His works are characterized by the use of vivid colors and daring compositions which combine Japanese traditional arts and Western textile design.

Biography

Awatsuji was born in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

, Japan in 1929. He graduated from the Kyoto Municipal Arts College (later called Kyoto City University of Arts) in 1950. Between 1950 and 1954, he worked for Kanegafuchi Spinning Company (now called Kanebo), and then at Kenjiro Oishi Studio. In 1958, he started his own design studio, and in 1963/4, he began design collaborations with Fujie Textile. Awatsuji designed the curtains and carpets used in two pavilions during the 1970 World Exposition in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

. Awatsuji founded his own design company, AWA, in 1988. AWA was known for its home goods, in particular its black-and-white patterned textiles and tableware.

Awards

He was the recipient of the Mainichi Industrial Design Award in 1971, the Japan Interior Designer's Association Award in 1972, and the Silver Award in Industrial Arts at the Third Textile Triennale in Todz,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, in 1978. He received the Gold Prize in 1992 at the 28th

ID Annual Design Review ''I.D.'' (''The International Design Magazine'') was a magazine covering the art, business, and culture of design. It was published eight times a year by F+W Media. History ''I.D.'' was founded in 1954 as ''Industrial Design''. The name was la ...

(USA), and, shortly before his death in 1995, received the Kitaro Kunii Industrial Design Award.

References

External links

Profile of Awatsuji
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awatsuji, Hiroshi 1929 births 1995 deaths Textile designers Artists from Kyoto Prefecture