Isamu Noguchi Museum in NYC to Expand

Excellent news that a grant from will mean that Isamu Noguchi’s live-work space, located across the street from his namesake museum in New York City, will undergo much-needed renovations to become accessible for public tours. More details here from The Art Newspaper.

And a good chance for me to note that back in 2013 i spent some time at the museum as part of their then exhibition “Beijing 1930” that looked at the six months or so Noguchi spent in Beijing in 1930 and his collaborations with the Chinese artist/calligrapher Qi Baishi. I spoke at the museum on the milieu of Peking in 1930 and the international circle of acquaintances Noguchi made while in the city. That essay by the way is included as part of my book Destination Peking (Blacksmith Books)…

And, while the Beijing 1930 exhibition is finished, the catalogue remains (here) and is a good read with a lot of the art from Noguchi’s Peking sojourn.