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 ...
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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 Ana???s 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.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Size: 6x1x8; Clean, tight copy showing light rubbing to binding and general handling wear. A mild reading crease to front panel, small chips to rear. Some very light soiling to edges of text block, small stain to RFEP. Text and images unmarked. 439pp.
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VG/VG some wear on Dj. Three-quarters gray paper boards with black cloth spine, black & illus. dust jacket, 438 pp., 36 BW illus. The first full-length biography of American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). Traces his "lifelong journey across...artistic and cultural borders in search of his personal identity." (dj) "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 chronicled in The Life of Isamu Noguchi, the first full-length biography of Noguchi. 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."--Jacket. Contents as follows: Yone and Leonie--His mother's child--All-American boy--Journey of self-discovery--Becoming a Nisei--The song of a snail--Honeymoon with Japan--The world of dreams--The universe in a garden--Encounter with a stonecutter--Farewell to a dreamer.
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Paperback. NOT Ex-library. Good condition. Proceeds benefit the Pima County Public Library system, which serves Tucson and southern Arizona. Until further notice, USPS Priority Mail only reliable option for Hawaii.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 440 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 440 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
This superbly written biography is not only about Isamu Noguchi as a sculptor and or designer. It is as much a biography of how he became the sculptor and the designer on the waves of both political and art history of the first half of the 20th century, wonderfully history blends in with the Isamu Noguchi story. He knew the right persons in the right place and time and still had to deal with so many conflicts on a personnal level.
The magnetism between the USA and Japan and Noguchi "caught" in the middle. Being part of both worlds by birth. Modernism versus tradition in a person and his work.
In a very subtle way one enters the world of Isamu Noguchi and accompanies him as well in creative processes in the art world.
Forms will never be the same once you have been connected with Isamu Noguchi and his world & works.
