Collection

Gate

NOGUCHI, Isamu

1969

Information

Title
Gate
Artist
NOGUCHI, Isamu View artist Information
Year
1969
Collection
Purchased
Medium
painted steel
Size
1050.0×390.0×550.0

Commentary

In 1969, the museum moved from its original location in Kyobashi to Takebashi. Taniguchi Yoshiro (1904–79) designed the main building and the structure was donated by one of the facility’s trustees, Ishibashi Shojiro (1889–1976), who was the chairman of the Bridgestone Corporation at the time. Gate, a huge sculpture, was made specifically for the new site. The son of the poet Noguchi Yonejiro and the Journalist Léonie Gilmour, Isamu Noguchi was a sculptor, designer, and landscape architect who was active both in the U.S. and Japan. During Noguchi’s lifetime, the color of Gate was changed each time it was repainted as per the artist’s directions. This resulted in three variations: red and black; blue; and yellow and black. After the artist’s death, all three were preserved and repainted in the appropriate manner.

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