He hails from the land of tea and crumpets, but Nigel Coates first found success in a country better known for sushi and sake. But though Japan was the first to embrace his futuristic, semi-permanent "pop" stylings, it wasn't long before his buttoned-down countrymen recognized Coates' avant-garde vis

Eclectic, Fantastic, Pop, Postmodern architecture, Quirky, Round

"Art," Yayoi Kusama once said, "is both the symptom and cause for my obsession." Indeed, her works -- many of which amalgamate thousands of polka dots into recognizable forms -- are the manifestation of the spots, nets, and flowers that she has seen in hallucinations since childhood. Many cite her tr

Biomorphic, Collage, Conceptual installation, Eclectic, Happenings & environments, Kinetic, Layered, Round

Slinky, kinky, and plastic. These are the descriptors that Joe Colombo's version of a utopian space-age future calls to mind. In the 1960s, sci-fi fantasies gave rise to molded curves, tubular furniture, and synthetic fabrics. The Italians and Scandinavians were at the forefront of the design revolut

Fantastic, Playful, Pop/surrealism/anti-design, Quirky, Round

Known as the experimental and uncompromising bad boy of post-war Danish design, Verner Panton pushed the design envelope as far as he could. He used steel wire frames and molded plastic like no designer before him. And then there were the textiles. Panton created total atmospheric experiences; his fa

Biomorphic, Bubblicious, Pop/surrealism/anti-design, Psychedelic, Round, Trippy