Isamu Noguchi in the Rijksmuseum Gardens

Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) moved between art and life. He designed sculptures, playgrounds, lamps and landscapes, always with the idea that form only acquires meaning in use. The garden exhibition in Amsterdam shows exactly that versatility: In the Rijksmuseum Gardens are outdoor works that play with scale, light and material. The route is freely accessible and forms a outdoor studio where you literally move between them as a visitor.

The selection is made in cooperation with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York, and joins previous garden exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum. The emphasis is on the physical experience: walk around, watch how sun and shade change the work, and see how organic forms relate to the classic lines of the museum. The garden is open 09:00-18:00 daily; ideal as a break-walk or starting point for a museum visit.

Noguchi's work fits remarkably well in Amsterdam. The city cherishes public domain and playful art; the gardens reconnect the two. Those who are Akari lamps knows, recognize in the garden the same lightness and tactility - only now on a landscape scale. Moreover, the exhibition is part of the anniversary programming; partners such as the Don Quixote Foundation/Rijksmuseum Fonds and Pon are helping to make the presentation possible.

"In the gardens, space becomes material - and walking becomes a way of seeing."

Practical: access to the outdoor exhibition is free of charge. For the museum itself, you need a ticket and starting time; so it is convenient to cleverly combine garden and indoor program. In late summer, the light is soft for a long time - precisely the hours when the sculptures come into their own.