Ziggurat is a 1968 sculpture made of white Seravezza marble. It is 8 1/4 inches by 37 1/2 inches by 23 3/4 inches.
UCF to Exhibit 'Between Heaven and Earth' Art of Isamu Noguchi
By Chad Binette (cbinette@mail.ucf.edu)
Exhibit Opens Jan. 17, Will be Available for Media Tours Starting Jan. 11
ORLANDO, Jan. 9, 2006 -- Works of Abstract Expressionism pioneer Isamu Noguchi will be displayed at the University of Central Florida Art Gallery from Jan. 17 to March 6. "Between Heaven and Earth: The Sculpture of Isamu Noguchi" will feature more than 20 works selected from The Noguchi Museum in New York. The exhibit is organized to highlight the opposing tendencies in Noguchi's art and life, contrasting the "grounded-ness" with the lightness of his art.
The UCF Art Gallery is in the Visual Arts Building on the East Orlando campus. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
Caught between Eastern and Western cultures, Noguchi created a fusion of both worlds in his sculptures, landscapes and architecture, and industrial designs while becoming a prototype of today's international, interdisciplinary artists. His work continues to captivate and influence others 18 years after his death.
Noguchi's art combines a Zen approach with the force of Abstract Expressionism in his use of a variety of materials, including stone, clay and water. He studied under Constantin Brancusi, designed sets for Martha Graham, worked alongside Diego Rivera and claimed George Gershwin among his early patrons.
"In terms of influence on the Modern Era, I don't think any other sculptor compares, except perhaps Henry Moore," said Theo Lotz, curator, UCF instructor and director of the UCF Art Gallery.
Today, Noguchi is as well known by designers and collectors for his furniture and other functional objects as he is for his fine art sculptures.
"It wasn't so common in Noguchi's day for artists to be successful in the fine arts as well as in the industrial arts," Lotz said. "Yet his design work should be seen as an extension of his personal vision. His industrial pieces, such as his now-famous coffee table, make sense in light of his entire body of work."
For more information on a film series to be presented on Noguchi and other educational activities, as well as special gallery weekend hours for the exhibit, contact Janet Kilbride, assistant director of the UCF Art Gallery, at 407-823-3161 or jkilbrid@mail.ucf.edu.
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