Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within

Toshiko Takaezu was an American artist who worked in ceramics, painting, sculpture, weaving, and installation. This book provides the first retrospective assessment of her art and life, exploring her diverse oeuvre and hybrid identity as an Asian American woman, artist, and teacher. It features essays, illustrations, and an updated chronology, exhibition history, and recollections from her former apprentices. The book will be published in association with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 23 April 2024
Publisher: Yale University Press

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was an American artist whose diverse body of work in ceramics, painting, sculpture, weaving, and installation drew inspiration from the natural world, blending expressive energies with influences from East Asia. While her closed ceramic forms, known for their abstract nature, are her most recognizable, her artistic output extended far beyond ceramics, encompassing a wide range of mediums. This book offers the first comprehensive retrospective of Takaezu's art and life, showcasing her diverse oeuvre spanning six decades and her unique identity as an Asian American woman, artist, and teacher.

The book features essays that delve into various aspects of Takaezu's life, including her biography, her background as a Hawai'i-born artist of Okinawan heritage, the interplay between her abstract work and that of her contemporaries, the role of cultural exchange in her art, her impact as an educator, and more. Beautifully illustrated with nearly 300 images of artworks and archival photographs, the book also includes an updated chronology, exhibition history, and recollections from Takaezu's former apprentices.

Published in association with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, this ambitious volume provides a compelling and comprehensive account of Takaezu's career. The exhibition schedule for the book includes venues such as the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in New York, the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, MI, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, WI.

Toshiko Takaezu's art remains a testament to her ability to bridge cultures and push the boundaries of artistic expression. Her multidisciplinary approach and innovative use of materials continue to inspire and influence artists worldwide. This retrospective book offers a valuable insight into the life and work of this remarkable artist, allowing a broader audience to appreciate her contributions to the art world.

Weight: 1870g
Dimension: 241 x 287 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300267402