Isamu Noguchi, born in Los Angeles as the illegitimate son of an
American mother and a Japanese poet father, was one of the most
prolific yet enigmatic figures in the history of twentieth-century
American art. Throughout his life, Noguchi (1904-1988) grappled
with the ambiguity of his identity as an artist caught up in two
cultures.
His personal struggles--as well as his many personal
triumphs--are vividly chronicled in "The Life of Isamu Noguchi,"
the first full-length biography of this remarkable artist.
Published in connection with the centennial of the artist's birth,
the book draws on Noguchi's letters, his reminiscences, and
interviews with his friends and colleagues to cast new light on his
youth, his creativity, and his relationships.
During his sixty-year career, there was hardly a genre that
Noguchi failed to explore. He produced more than 2,500 works of
sculpture, designed furniture, lamps, and stage sets, created
dramatic public gardens all over the world, and pioneered the
development of environmental art. After studying in Paris, where he
befriended Alexander Calder and worked as an assistant to
Constantin Brancusi, he became an ardent advocate for abstract
sculpture.
Noguchi's private life was no less passionate than his artistic
career. The book describes his romances with many women, among them
the dancer Ruth Page, the painter Frida Kahlo, and the writer Anais
Nin.
Despite his fame, Noguchi always felt himself an outsider.
"With my double nationality and my double upbringing, where was my
home?" he once wrote. "Where were my affections? Where my
identity?" Never entirely comfortable in the New York art world, he
inevitably returned to his father's homeland, where he had spent a
troubled childhood. This prize-winning biography, first published
in Japanese, traces Isamu Noguchi's lifelong journey across these
artistic and cultural borders in search of his personal
identity."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!