Test your Design IQ
MANILA, Philippines - Who is the Japanese-American artist and landscape architect known for his sculpture and public works, as well as stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces?
He was born in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 17, 1904 to a Japanese poet and an American writer who edited much of his work. They moved to Japan in 1907, during which his mother tried to nurture his artistic ability, putting him in charge of their garden and apprenticing him with a local carpenter.
He was later sent back to the United States to study, and in late 1926 applied for a Guggenheim Fellowship to study stone and woodcutting. After arriving in Paris the following year, he trained under the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, and gained his footing in stone sculpture.
Over the years, he became known for his gardens that have become notable landmarks. These include the Japanese Garden at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the Sunken Gardens for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University and for the Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza in New York, the gardens at the IMB Headquarters, the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden in Jerusalem, and the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden in Houston.
He is also known for his park designs — a bridge at Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan; the Dodge Fountain and Philip A. Hart Plaza in Michigan; Kodomo no Kuni, a children’s playground in Japan; Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida; and Playscapes, a children’s playground in Atlanta Georgia. His final project was for the design for the Moerenuma Park in Sapporo, Japan.
He also designed furniture and lamps for Herman Miller and Knoll and continued his involvement with the theater, designing sets for Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, and John Cage and Merce Cunningham’s production of The Seasons. In 1955, he designed the sets and costumes for a controversial theater production of King Lear starring John Gielguld.
In the ensuing years, he gained prominence and acclaim, leaving his large-scale works in many of the world’s major cities. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class by the Japanese government in 1988.
When he died on Dec. 30, 1988 at the age of 84, the New York Times called him a “prolific and versatile sculptor whose earthy stones and meditative gardens bridging East and West have become landmarks of 20th-century art.”
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Last week’s question: Who is the American-Italian cookbook author and educator best known for teaching Italian cooking classes in a restored Renaissance villa outside Verona?
Answer: Guiliano Hazan
Winner: Orlando Hizon of Quezon City
Text your answer to 0926-3508061 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.
