“Where all we see is change I like to think sculpture may have in this a special role—as an antidote to impermanence—with newness yes, but with a quality of enduring freshness relative to that resonant void, within us and without,” wrote Isamu Noguchi: a standout sculptor of the 20th century and an influential believer in the medium. His prolific output of work included gardens, furniture, lighting, ceramics, architecture and set designs. However, it was sculpture that demonstrated his true mastery of formal qualities and techniques: simultaneously subtle and bold, traditional yet modern.
Through over 250 images—including photographs of Noguchi’s experimental work, drawings and architectural plans—and contextualized in his own words, A Sculptor’s Worldremains Noguchi’s most comprehensive statement about the art that brought him international acclaim. With an avant-garde layout and typography, the book is essential reading for anyone with a love for Noguchi’s work or with a general interest in sculpture. Originally published in 1968 and reprinted twice by Steidl but out of print for nearly a decade, this updated edition includes the original foreword by architect R. Buckminster Fuller, creator of the geodesic dome, and Bonnie Rychlak, former studio assistant to Noguchi and curator of his museum and foundation. The book incorporates paper stocks and printing techniques that closely replicate the look and feel of the first 1968 edition.
Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) was born in Los Angeles and raised in Japan before returning to the United States to study at the age of 13. His collaborations included furniture for Herman Miller and playground design with architect Louis I. Kahn. In 1985, Noguchi designed and opened the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum (now the Noguchi Museum), in Long Island City, New York.