Isamu Noguchi: A Sculptor's World

by R. Buckminster Fuller (Text), Isamu Noguchi (Illustrations)

"In my long experience as an intimate witness of Noguchi's work, I believe that whatever the external entities of his coordinate translating may be, they represent a faithful manifest of the intellectual and harmonic being, Noguchi. In my estimation, the evoluting array and extraordinary breadth of his conceptioning realizations document a comprehensive artist without peer in our time." --R. Buckminster Fuller A Sculptor's World is the long-awaited reprint of Isamu Noguchi's 1968 autobiography. It remains Noguchi's most comprehensive statement about the art that brought him international acclaim. Told in words and images, A Sculptor's World is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the life and work of this seminal artist or a general interest in the art of sculpture. Also reprinted in this volume is the original foreword to the book by R. Buckminster Fuller, from which the above quote is taken.

Genres: Art, Art Design

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller was an American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, and inventor.

Fuller published more than 30 books, coining or popularizing terms such as "Spaceship Earth", ephemeralization, and synergetic. He also developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, and popularized the widely known geodesic dome. Carbon molecules known as fullerenes were later named by scientists for their structural and mathematical resemblance to geodesic spheres.

Buckminster Fuller was the second president of Mensa from 1974 to 1983.

Reviews

[Jessie Vahrenkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noguchi's original biographer abandoned the post, explaining to the artist that his was a tale that could be told by him and him alone. What you get then, as a reader, is disarmed prose and immediate access to one of the modern era's most influential sculptors, whose personal journey reveals insights into how rapidly the world was converging during this period.

Noguchi's personal story is inextricably linked to the rise of modernism. The son of a Japanese poet (who disowned him for purposes of 'honor') and a fiercely independent American editor, he spent much of life straddling East and West, and an attempt to reconcile this tension is reflected in his otherwise unprecedented forms. Along the way, he receives one of the first Guggenheim Fellowships to study in Europe and crosses paths with some of the modern era's most notable characters; his good friend R. Buckminster Fuller contributed the introduction to this volume.

Documenting a life of personal and artistic perseverance during a period of unprecedented change, Noguchi's autobiography is required reading for anyone with an interest in modern art and form.

[Scott Benowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isamu Noguchi originally published this book in 1968. In this autobiography, he describes the events in his life, his early interest in art, his years in both the U.S. and Japan, and his years studying art.
Noguchi carved a unique place for himself in the world of 20th century sculptors. In this book, he describes his creative process, he decides how he selected the materials that he'd worked with as well as how he'd shaped them.
This 2004 reissue includes a timeline of the major events which had occurred in Isamu Noguchi's life after this book had originally been published in 1968, concluding with his death in 1988.
This is not an art textbook, you don't need to possess any advanced knowledge of the history of modern art movements and styles to appreciate this book. If you're interested in the famous sculptors of the 20th century, you'll thoroughly enjoy reading this book.

[Tim Nason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and very inspiring narrative by Noguchi about his complex career as a sculptor and home furnishings designer and public monument designer with equally strong connections to the worlds of theater and dance – his life story as an all-around creative person and someone who knew and worked with a great many innovators. The book provides ample information about how Noguchi worked, along with his ideals and practices, that can be helpful in appreciating his stone sculptures all the more (seen at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City/Astoria, New York).