Humphrey John Ikin (born 7 May 1957) is a New Zealand furniture designer.

Early life and family

Born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

on 7 May 1957, Ikin was educated at King's College in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, before going on to study at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

from 1975 to 1977, and the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in 1981. In 1979, Ikin married Philippa Anne Malden.

Furniture design

Ikin's furniture is known for its design quality and Pacific minimalist look. In 1998, New York's ''I.D. Magazine'' listed him as one of the top 40 designers in the world and featured his piec
''Red Stave Chair''
alongside work by well-known designers

Jasper Morrison Jasper Morrison (born 1959) is an English product and furniture designer. He is know for the refinement and apparent simplicity of his designs. In a rare interview with the designer, he is quoted as saying: "Objects should never shout". Ear ...

(England),

Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. Life Starck was born on ...

(France), and

Antonio Citterio Antonio Citterio (born 1950, in Meda) is an Italian architect, furniture designer and industrial designer who lives and works in Milan. He acquired a degree in architecture from Politecnico di Milano in 1972 and subsequently started working as a d ...

. In 2001 he won the prestigious John Britten Design Award, presented annually by the Designers' Institute of New Zealand. In 2003 he received an

Arts Foundation of New Zealand 'The Arts Foundation of New Zealand Te Tumu Toi is a New Zealand arts organisation that supports artistic excellence and facilitates private philanthropy through raising funds for the arts and allocating it to New Zealand artists. The concept ...

Laureate Award. Ikin's work is held in both public and private collections in New Zealand and throughout the world. He teaches part-time at

Unitec New Zealand Unitec Institute of Technology (Māori language, Māori: Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka) is the largest institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. 16,844 students study programmes from certificate to postgraduate degree level (levels 1 to 9) a ...

in Auckland where, in 2002 he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Furniture Design at the School of Design. In 1997, he co-curated with

Carin Wilson Carin John Wilson (born 2 March 1945) is a New Zealand studio furniture maker, sculptor and design educator. He was a leader in the country's craft movement in the 1970s, 80s and 90s and was one of the inaugurators of the design showcase ''Artitu ...

a major exhibition of furniture at the

Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 20 ...

in Lower Hutt. Entitled ''Framed'', the exhibition displayed the work of 23 studio furniture makers, ranging from young designers to experienced practitioners.

References

Helen Schamroth Helena Jeannette Schamroth (born 1945) is a New Zealand craft artist and author. Biography Schamroth was born in Kraków, Poland, just after World War II to two Jewish Holocaust survivors, but her milliner grandmother and shoemaker grandfather ...

, ''100 New Zealand Craft Artists'' (Auckland:

Godwit Press Godwit Press is a New Zealand publisher of non-fiction works, mainly of New Zealand arts, literature, and natural history. Initially founded in Auckland in 1989, the company was taken over by Random House New Zealand in 2000 and has since been its ...

, 1998)

Exhibitions

*1987 - Solo Exhibition, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington *1990 - Solo Exhibition, Fisher Gallery, Auckland *1991 - Solo Exhibition, RKS ART, Auckland *1994 - Solo Exhibitions, RKS ART, Auckland *1994 - Room, Solo Exhibition, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt *1997 - Facing North, Solo Exhibition, City Gallery, Wellington and the Auckland Museum (1998)

List of works

Works from the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ikin, Humphrey 1957 births Living people New Zealand furniture designers 20th-century New Zealand artists Massey University alumni University of Auckland alumni People from Lower Hutt People educated at King's College, Auckland 20th-century New Zealand male artists