Description

The story of MoMA’s sculpture garden

The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Modern Art holds a special place in the hearts of many, whether artists or museumgoers, New Yorkers or visitors from world wide. This can be a respite from the crowds and skyscrapers that surround it, in addition to a place to commune with major works of modern and up to date art.

Through essays and archival images, this lavishly illustrated volume pays tribute to the Sculpture Garden’s beauty and remarkable history over the last 80 years. Oasis in the City: The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at The Museum of Modern Art features the sculptures that have develop into synonymous with the space, Philip Johnson’s elegant and enduring design, and the Garden’s diverse array of activities and events. From its inception in 1939, the Sculpture Garden―which launched the very concept of the garden as out of doors gallery for changing installations―has hosted exhibitions of sculpture by Alexander Calder, structures by Buckminster Fuller and Marcel Breuer, performances by Yayoi Kusama, and served as the most important venue for music, dance, social gatherings and even protest.

Along with offering a in the back of-the-scenes history, this unique publication debuts a portfolio of images of the Sculpture Garden by eight prominent up to date artists and photographers: Richard Pare, Candida Höfer, Tina Barney, Thomas Struth, Carrie Mae Weems, James Welling, Vera Lutter and Hiroshi Sugimoto. These projects demonstrate that at the same time as the out of doors gallery is constantly changing with the seasons, new programming, and rotations of art on display, it continues to be an inspiration to artists and the broader public alike.