Modernism in precedent and practice: Isamu Noguchi's Garden for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University

East and West intertwined provides the major theme throughout Isamu Noguchi's life and oeuvre, finding its fullest expression in his public gardens of the mid-twentieth century. Focusing on Noguchi's garden for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale, this thesis first demonstrates Noguchi's origins in Modern sculpture of the West. The second chapter challenges the prevailing view which makes his art a metaphor for his dual heritage by demonstrating that certain traits attributed to Japanese sources could have easily been preceded by Western influences. The chicken-or-egg conundrum suggested by assessing Western treatments of Japanese models is then demonstrated to find its resolution in Noguchi's commitment to introducing aesthetic experiences into everyday life.