Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden and The Noguchi Museum Present
Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
On View September 8–December 13, 2015
Exhibition Marks 100th Anniversary of BBG’s Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden,
30th Anniversary of Noguchi Museum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Updated September 8, 2015 (Brooklyn, NY)–Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is pleased
to announce a special fall exhibition, Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a presentation of sculptures by the
renowned Japanese-American artist. Organized in collaboration with The Noguchi Museum, New York, and curated
by the Museum’s senior curator, Dakin Hart, the show includes 18 works by Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) from the
Museum’s permanent collection, sited throughout BBG’s outdoor and indoor public gardens. Ranging in date from
the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s, the sculptures are on view from
September 8 through December 13, 2015.
The centerpiece of Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a
selection of some eight works sited in BBG’s Japanese Hill-andPond Garden. Opened in 1915 and considered the masterpiece of
landscape designer Takeo Shiota (1881–1943), this was the first
Japanese garden to be created in an American public garden and
is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens
outside Japan.
“In Isamu Noguchi, we find a world citizen whose brilliance and
creativity transcends cultures and generations,” says Scot
Medbury, president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “The fact that
Noguchi took his inspiration from nature and created not only
Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at BBG. Photo: Antonio M. Rosario.
sculpture but also gardens makes this exhibition a particularly
good fit for BBG, and we are deeply grateful to The Noguchi Museum for its
partnership.”
Noguchi Museum director Jenny Dixon states, “The Museum is thrilled to have
worked on this project with the esteemed Brooklyn Botanic Garden. A connoisseur of
the great Japanese gardens, Noguchi would, I think, have been immensely proud to
see his work installed in one of the oldest and most important such gardens in one of
the oldest and most important botanical gardens in the United States.”
“Gardens, parks, and playgrounds represented the apex of Noguchi’s ambitions for
sculpture: immersive, interactive environments produced by the combined efforts of
nature and human beings, often populated by ambiguously useful, sort of
architectural elements and designed in the universal language of sensory
experience,” adds Mr. Hart.
Isamu Noguchi, Rain Mountain, 1982–83,
hot-dipped galvanized steel, 96  261/8 
241/2 in. Courtesy The Noguchi Museum.
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Among the works placed in the landscape of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is Rain Mountain (1982–83). The
eight-foot-tall, hot-dipped galvanized steel sculpture is installed just outside the north entrance of the garden,
serving as an invitation to explore the gently rolling landscape within. Jack-in-the-Box (1984), a large bronze-plate
work reminiscent of the children’s toy, and a paper, bamboo, and metal Akari lamp, model 33X (1968), are sited
inside the garden’s viewing pavilion. Strange Bird (1945), a bronze semi-abstract work installed on the turtle island,
recalls a pair of bronze crane originally located there when the Japanese garden first opened 100 years ago. Sky
Mirror (1970), a low-slung basalt piece with a highly polished surface, is located on the small promontory between
the waiting pavilion and the pond, angled to catch the morning light. Here, it embodies one of Noguchi’s most
important reference points: the yin-yang relationship between water and stone, seeming opposites—solid/liquid,
moving/still—that are in fact intimately related in nature, where they shape each other.
The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and the works displayed there are the center of the exhibition, but the
installation extends to other areas of BBG as well. Several of Noguchi’s interpretations of rock formations, for
example, are installed along the grassy hillsides near BBG’s Rock Garden; other works are displayed in the C.V. Starr
Bonsai Museum, the Desert Pavilion, the Osborne Garden, the Plant Family Collection, Cherry Esplanade, the Native
Flora Garden, and Ginkgo Allée.
Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden runs concurrently with The Noguchi Museum’s 30th anniversary
exhibition Museum of Stones (October 7, 2015–January 10, 2016).
On the occasion of Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, BBG is also presenting Isamu Noguchi: The
Transformation of Nature, a Conservatory Gallery exhibition of rare images from The Noguchi Museum’s archives
that offer a glimpse of the artist’s vision of public spaces and his work as a garden, park, and playground maker. BBG
is also presenting a series of special tours led by expert guides from BBG and The Noguchi Museum, an audio tour by
Dakin Hart, a kids’ discovery guide, and classes and other public programs tied to the exhibition and the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden. Details can be found at bbg.org/noguchi.
High-resolution images of Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden are available here. To arrange an interview
or for further information, please contact [email protected] or 718-623-7241.
About The Noguchi Museum
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum opened in 1985 as the first museum in the country to be
founded by an artist during his lifetime for the display of his work. The collection and exhibitions focus on Noguchi’s
extensive production, articulating the cultural context in which he worked, the many major figures with whom he
engaged, and his ongoing influence on the art and design of today. In addition to temporary exhibitions, The Noguchi
Museum offers a variety of education and public programs that seek to introduce Noguchi’s work and vision to
diverse audiences. These programs encourage the investigation of Noguchi’s work from different vantage points and
support participants as they experience the artist’s work from their own perspectives. For more information, please
visit noguchi.org.
About BBG
Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an urban botanic garden that connects people to the
world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and sense of stewardship of
the environment. Situated on 52 acres in the heart of Brooklyn, the Garden is home to over 14,000 kinds of
plants and hosts more than 800,000 visitors annually.
Learn what’s happening at Brooklyn Botanic Garden at bbg.org/visit/calendar, read the Garden’s blog at
bbg.org/news, and find out what’s in bloom at bbg.org/bloom. Visitor entrances are at 990 Washington Avenue, 150
Eastern Parkway, and 455 Flatbush Avenue. Follow BBG on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and join the
conversation using the hashtag #brooklynbotanic.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
[email protected] | 718-623-7241
Lucy O’Brien, Noguchi Museum
[email protected] | 646-590-9267
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ISAMU NOGUCHI AT BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN
Fact Sheet
WHAT
Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden includes 18 works by Japanese-American artist Isamu
Noguchi (1904–88)—one of the most acclaimed sculptors and designers of the 20th century—
sited throughout Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s outdoor and indoor public gardens. The exhibition
has been organized by Brooklyn Botanic Garden in collaboration with The Noguchi Museum, New
York, and curated by Noguchi Museum senior curator Dakin Hart.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an installation of some eight works in BBG’s iconic Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden. Noguchi’s works extend to other areas of BBG as well, with sculptures in
stone, steel, and bronze situated around the Garden, where they engage in a dialogue with the
natural landscape. Isamu Noguchi at Brooklyn Botanic Garden coincides with the 100th
anniversary of BBG’s Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and The Noguchi Museum’s 30th
anniversary.
WHEN
September 8–December 13, 2015
WHERE
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Visitor entrances: 990 Washington Avenue, 150 Eastern Parkway, 455 Flatbush Avenue.
NOGUCHI The Noguchi Museum opened in 1985 as the first museum in the country to be founded by a
MUSEUM living artist for the display of his work. The Museum’s collection and exhibitions focus on
Noguchi’s extensive production, as well as the cultural context in which he worked, the many
major figures with whom he engaged, and his ongoing influence on the art and design of today.
In addition to temporary exhibitions, The Noguchi Museum offers a variety of education and
public programs that seek to introduce Noguchi’s work and vision to diverse audiences. These
programs encourage the investigation of Noguchi’s work from different vantage points and
support participants as they experience the artist’s work from their own perspectives. For more
information, please visit noguchi.org.
BROOKLYN Founded in 1910, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is an urban botanic garden that connects
BOTANIC people to the world of plants, fostering delight and curiosity while inspiring an appreciation and
GARDEN sense of stewardship of the environment. Situated on 52 acres in the heart of Brooklyn, the
Garden is home to over 14,000 kinds of plants and hosts more than 800,000 visitors annually. For
more information, please visit bbg.org.
MEDIA
Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, [email protected], 718-623-7241
Lucy O’Brien, Noguchi Museum, [email protected], 646-590-9267
ISAMU NOGUCHI AT BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN
Exhibition Checklist
Rain Mountain
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
96  261/8 × 241/2 in.
Installed: Just outside the
Japanese Hill-and-Pond
Garden north gate
Jack-in-the-Box
1984
Bronze plate
68 x 191/2 x 16 in.
Installed: In the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden
viewing pavilion
Akari lamp, model 33X
1968
Paper, bamboo, metal
Installed: In the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden
viewing pavilion
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Strange Bird
1945 (cast 1971)
Bronze, gold patina
555/8 × 213/8 × 20 in.
Installed: On turtle island in
the Japanese Hill-and-Pond
Garden
Sky Mirror
1970
Basalt
247/8 × 271/4 × 153/8 in.
Installed: On the promontory
between the waiting pavilion
and the pond in the
Japanese Hill-and-Pond
Garden
Kyoko-san
1984
Andesite
64 × 21 × 12 in.
Installed: In the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden
Personage I (Ningen I)
1984
Andesite
661/2 × 141/2 × 12 in.
Installed: In the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden
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Mountains Forming
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
603/4 × 47 × 46 in.
Installed: On the hill above
the waterfall in the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden
The Whole
1984
Granite
351/2 × 533/4 × 55 in.
Installed: In the Osborne
Garden
Magritte’s Stone
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
511/4 × 30 × 12 in.
Installed: In the Osborne
Garden
This Earth, This Passage
1962 (cast 1963)
Bronze
47/8 × 433/4 × 411/4 × 4 in.
Installed: In the Native Flora
Garden, Council Circle
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Untitled [CR1136]
1986
Basalt
753/8 x 201/4 x 221/4 in.
Installed: Native Flora
Garden, Upper Circle
Age
1981
Basalt
931/8 × 241/2 × 211/4 in.
Installed: In the Elm Grove
(southeast of Bluebell Wood)
Beginnings
1985
Andesite
Dimensions various
Installed: Outside the Rock
Garden
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Zazen
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
31 x 301/4 x 101/2 in.
Installed: In the C.V. Starr
Bonsai Museum
Root and Stem
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
713/4 × 121/2 × 121/2 in.
Installed: In the Desert
Pavilion
Bird Song
1952 (cast 1985)
Bronze
97 x 15 x 9 in., 319.6 lb.
Installed: On Cherry
Esplanade
Wind Catcher
1982–83
Hot-dipped galvanized steel
1205/8 × 171/4 × 171/2 in.
Installed: At the terminus of
Ginkgo Allée
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