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Permanent Sculpture Acquisition
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Permanent Sculpture Acquisition
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Shirley Sagawa's Files
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shirrey
MEMO
TO: HRC
CC: Shirley Sagawa, Betty Monkman
FROM: Kaki
DATE: December 16, 2000
David Finn, Philippa Polskin, and I met with Mr. Shoji Sadao at The Isami
Noguchi Foundation in New York on Friday, December 15. The purpose of our meeting
was to discuss the possibility of the foundation making a gift of an important Noguchi
sculpture to The White House.
I discussed the matter with Betty Monkman last week in order to determine any
important issues regarding such an acquisition. The only two criteria mentioned were the
weight and mobility of the sculpture and the artistic quality of any selection. During this
process, Betty had asked both Carter Brown and Rusty Powell for their inputs regarding a
potential acquisition. The only issue they raised was the age of the piece, as they felt
Noguchi's more recent sculptures were not representative of his best work.
Understanding the criteria, I worked with Mr. Sadao to identify two Noguchi
sculptures that the foundation would be willing to give to The White House in your
honor.
I am pleased to report that both of these pieces were done in 1945 and are
representative of Noguchi's signature surrealistic works. They are both bronze, and their
weight and size make them easy to transport and move. The value of these works is
estimated to be between $700,000 and $800,000.
We can get the funds necessary for transportation and insurance as well as an
appropriate base, which the foundation will design and construct. Time is obviously
critical in this matter, but we can get it done early in January if approved this week.
Enclosed are several images of the two sculptures being offered. I will be in
Little Rock this week and look forward to getting your opinion and knowing how you
wish to proceed. David Finn felt they were both wonderful choices. I think such an
acquisition would be the perfect end of the sculpture garden project we have successfully
completed and perhaps the beginning of a permanent sculpture garden at The White
House.
Kali
1
1
#:
TRINITY (TRIPLE)
(234B)
Bronze, 55 X 22 X 20 inches
Photo credit:
Courtesy of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc
32-37 Vernon Blvd.
Long Island City, NY 11106
in
STRANGE BIRD 1945 Bronze appx. 55" I
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Jan. 4, 2001
Shirley- -
to get responses
hert week.
Betty
I
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 4, 2001
MEMORANDUM
TO: COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE WHITE HOUSE
FROM: BETTY C. MONKMAN MASCM
SUBJECT: Sculpture Garden
Happy New Year!
As we prepare for the change of administrations, interest has been expressed here in
continuing exhibiting 20th century sculpture in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden once the
current exhibition from the Denver Museum of Art is removed at the end of February. A
suggestion has been made to acquire a piece for the permanent White House collection.
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc. which operates the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum
on Long Island has generously offered to donate a piece to the White House.
I would appreciate your thoughts regarding the acquisition of a permanent piece of
outdoor sculpture for the White House collection for exhibition in the Jacqueline Kennedy
Garden as well as the possibility of the acquisition of either of the two Noguchi pieces that
have been offered to the White House.
It would be most helpful if you could call (202-456-2550) or fax me (202-456-6820) your
comments on the enclosed forms by January 13.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
OBJECT FOR CONSIDERATION
OBJECT: Trinity (Triple)
Artist: Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988)
Origin: American
Medium: Constructed bronze
Date: 1945
Inscriptions:
Measurements: 55 X 22 X 20 in.
Description: Originally made of black slate; later made of bronze. See attached
information.
Condition: Excellent
Provenance: Isamu Noguchi
Owner: The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
Cost: Gift
Artist represented in the White House collection? No
Source of funds for purchase: To be a gift of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
Comments:
Approval (please sign):
OR
Disapproval (please sign):
Date:
The Committee for the Preservation of the White House
o
$
Photograph Courtesy of
PLEASE RETURN
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
32-37 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, New York 11106
Trinity
55 X 22 X 20
Constructed Bronze
3 Elements
1945
CR 234
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
OBJECT FOR CONSIDERATION
OBJECT: Strange Bird
Artist: Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988)
Origin: American
Medium: Bronze
Date: 1945
Inscriptions:
Measurements: 56 3/4 X 22 1/2 X 20 in.
Description: From an edition of eight; originally constructed in slate and later cast in
aluminum and bronze. See attached information.
Condition: Excellent
Provenance: Isamu Noguchi
Owner: The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
Cost: Gift
Artist represented in the White House collection? No
Source of funds for purchase: To be a gift of The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
Comments:
Approval (please sign):
OR
Disapproval (please sign):
Date:
The Committee for the Preservation of the White House
Photograph Courtesy of
PLEASE RETURN
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc.
32-37 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, New York 11106
Strange Bird
56-3/4 X 22-1/2 X 20
Cast Bronze
4 Elements
1945
CR 232
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT PERMISSION
ISAMU NOGUCH
Remembrance is a conceptual link with the playful,
Es un objeto/proyecto que ilustra cómo la
small wooden sculptures and the interlocking
realización de Noguchi de lo figurativo a través de
stone-slab sculptures that would establish Noguchi
lá abstracción podía tener éxito estético una vez
as a member of the emerging New York School.
que el artista invitaba, y permitía que múltiples
Remembrance, with its nine dark wooden bone-
significados entraran en su escultura.
like members recalls the human bones used in
Remembrance es un vínculo conceptual con las
Monument to Heroes. It also relates to his light
juguetonas X pequeñas esculturas de madera y
and cheerful wooden-sculpture series. Finally,
las entrelazadas de losas de piedra que ubicarían
Remembrance might be viewed as a darker, grislier
a Noguchi como un integrante de la emergente
Death (Lynched Figure), its fragmented, dissected
New York School. Remembrance con sus nueve
representation of a figure, nine bones held together
miembros semejantes a huesos de madera oscura
without flesh or muscles.
recuerda los huesos humanos utilizados en
Drawing on his early experiences with geometric
Monument to Heroes. También se refiere a su
abstraction as well as his own life experiences, in
ligera y alegre serie de esculturas de madera. Por
the 1940s Noguchi started to show his own artistic
último, Remembrance puede ser visualizada como
objectives with his celebrated interlocking
una Death (Lynched Figure) más oscura y más
sculptures. In what can be characterized as his most
horrorosa, su representación fragmentada,
distinguished body of work, he had been exploring
disecada de una figura, nueve huesos unidos
figuration for years as he struggled for an
sin carne o músculos.
independence from representation and nature.
Nutrido por sus experiencias tempranas con la
These interlocking works might initially appear
abstracción geométrica, así como de sus
abstract, however they actually represent some of
vivencias, en la década de los cuarenta, Noguchi
Noguchi's most figurative sculptures. The figuration
empezó a mostrar sus propios objetivos artísticos
is characterized by a complex fragmentation of
con sus célebres esculturas entrelazadas. En lo
space, as the figure is assembled from dissected
que puede caracterizarse como su más
elements, it is at once spatially visible and invisible.
distinguido cuerpo de trabajo, el artista había
fig. 30
In their mass, verticality and dependence on gravity,
explorado lo ficurativo durante anos, a medida
Noguchi defined their presence as human forms.
que se esforzaba por obtener una independencia
All the hanging and interlocking pieces were
de la representación y la naturaleza. Estas obras
initially paper models prior to being constructed
entrelazadas pueden dar la impresión de
in stone and in metal. Imagine how radical it
abstractas aunque en realidad representan
seemed to make a sculpture only four- or five-inches
algunas de las esculturas más figurativas de
high in paper, then drawn and cut out of large slabs
Noguchi. Lo figurativo está caracterizado por una
of stone, assembled into a three-dimensional form,
compleja fragmentación del espacio, ya que la
then just as easily disassembled and stored away
figura está ensamblada con elementos
in a flat box. Figure and Strange Bird (To the
disecados; es a la vez espacial visible e invisible.
Sunflower) (Unknown Bird) [fig. 32}, illustrate the
En su masa, verticalidad y dependencia de la
fig. 31
ISAMU NOGUCHI
gravedad, Noguchi definió su presencia como
brilliance of Noguchi's simple and elegant concept.
formas humanas.
The interlocking parts cut from thin sheets of stone,
Todas las piezas colgantes y entrelazadas iniciaron
are figures in their mass although simultaneously
como modelos de papel antes de ser construidas
weightless in their spatially fragmented forms. As
en piedra y en metal. Imagine qué tan radical
if they were made of cardboard, the interlocking
parecía hacer una escultura de una altura de tan
sculptures appear precariously off-balance yet are
sólo diez O trece centímetros en papel, luego
indeed stable and grounded in their graceful
sacada y cortada de grandes losas de piedra,
verticality. The visual paradoxes expressed and the
ensamblada en una forma tridimensional, para
variegated references he exploited, secured
ser desensamblada y guardada en una caja
Noguchi's place in modern sculpture.
plana con la misma facilidad. Figure y Strange
Long before Noguchi invented his interlocking
Bird (To the Sunflower) (Unknown Bird) [fig. 32],
sculptures, he had designed four dance sets for
ilustran lo brillante del concepto sencillo y
Martha Graham that prefigured this body of work.
elegante de Noguchi. Las partes entrelazadas
By 1945, Graham was basing the characters in her
cortadas de delgadas láminas de piedra son
dances on archetypes, specifically tragic heroines
figuras en su masa aunque, en forma simultánea,
from Greek mythology, which are metaphorically
carentes de peso en sus formas espaciales
rich with heavenly and earthly forms, and creatures,
fragmentadas. Como si fueran hechas de cartón,
gods and mortals battling for dominance in the
las esculturas entrelazadas aparecen con un
universe. Graham understood the power of these
precario equilibrio, sin embargo son realmente
stories and used them as expressive devices.
estables y cimentadas en su graciosa verticalidad.
Noguchi understood them equally well. The two
Las paradojas visuales expresadas y las variadas
were consummate collaborators. The titles Noguchi
referencias que explota el artista, asegura el lugar
chose for many of his sculpture from this period
de Noguchi en la escultura moderna.
resonate with his preoccupation for mythical
Mucho tiempo antes de que Noguchi creara sus
archetypes: Kouros, Cronos from the Greek, Avatar
esculturas entrelazadas, había diseñado cuatro
and The Gunas from the Hindu and Gregory and
escenarios para Martha Graham que prefiguraban
Trinity from the Judeo-Christian traditions.
este cuerpo/ de arte. Para 1945, Graham basaba
The dance set element Torso [fig. 33, see fig. 23],
los personajes de sus danzas en arquetipos,
for the production of Herodiade in 1944
específicamente en las heroínas trágicas de la
choreographed by Martha Graham and the set
mitologia griega. Los mitos griegos son ricas
from John Brown [fig. 34], choreographed by Erick
metáforas con formas celestiales y terrestres,
Hawkins might be viewed as sculptures related
criaturas, dioses y mortales en guerra por et
to the interlocking series. There is little to
dominio del universo. Graham entendía el poder
distinguish them as dance set elements except
de/estas historias y las empleaba como dispositivos
that their original medium was not stone. Torso
expresivos. Noguchi también las entendía LOS dos
in this exhibition was posthumously cast in
fig. 32
eran colaboradores consumados. Los títulos que
bronze although originally carved in wood and
NOGUCHI
Y LA FIGURA
NOGUCHI
AND THE FIGURE
Textos / Texts
lan Buruma
Bonnie Rychlak
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey
febrero - - mayo 1999
February - - May 1999
Museo Rufino Tamayo
junio - septiembre 1999
June - September 1999