Bucky and Noguchi

Source: NY Times 5/19 Weekend Art p. B34 "The Architect and the Sculptor: A Friendship of Ideas" by Grace Glueck

"Great, friendships are rare, but friendships that enlarge the spirit through ideas, ideals and new insights are in a class by themselves." Grace Glueck makes this observation about the sculptor Isamu Noguchi and the visionary designer R. Buckminster Fuller. In show entitled " Best of Friends" at the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City. This friendship that dates from 1929, includes a collaboration on a car that can fly (1932) and design for an unrealized theater for Martha Graham (1976). Fuller's geodesic dome geometry also played a part conceptually in other works by Noguchi. We don't hear of the enlarged spirit much these days. Enlarged prostates seems to be on our minds more often than not, so to learn that two major figures in our culture inspired each other and that it is being celebrated publicly is just plain old-fashioned nice. If you would like to see some photographs of the exhibit go to nytimes.com/design