Light and Stone: Revisiting Noguchi's 1986 Venice Biennale

About

Marking the 40th anniversary of Isamu Noguchi's 1986 U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, this single-gallery archival show revisits "What Is Sculpture?," which made him the first solo artist to represent the United States there. Selected by Commissioner Alanna Heiss and curated by Henry Geldzahler, the original exhibition centered on "Slide Mantra," a ten-foot marble spiral slide, shown alongside models for unrealized playgrounds and Akari light sculptures whose commercial associations drew objections from some of Noguchi's peers.