De Kooning on de Kooning
Sculpture of Spaces: Noguchi
This award-winning film investigates the life, art, and ideas of the revered Abstract Expressionist painter. Interviews with de Kooning himself, recalling his early struggles and his camaraderie with key figures in the Greenwich Village avant-garde of the 1940s, are supplemented with rare historical footage that captures the artist slashing paint onto canvas and masterfully creating large-scale drawings. This landmark document delivers a dynamic portrait of one of America's most acclaimed artists.
This film traces sculptor Isamu Noguchi's lifelong exploration of the boundaries of his art form throught works as diverse as his stage designs for Martha Graham, his public parks and plazas (focusing largely on the controversial building of Miami's Bayfront Park in 1980), his innovative playgrounds, and the intimate garden he designed for his home in rural Japan. Weaving together dramatic images of the landscapes, rare footage of the artist at work, throughtful reflections from colleagues, and extensive archival interviews with Noguchi himself, the filmmakers allow the artist to tell the story of a singular journey beyond the boundaries of traditional sculpture.