Recent Sculpture of Masayuki Nagare [Staempfli Gallery Exhibition Catalogue in Original Handmade Japanese Portfolio]

Item Details

New York / Tokyo, Staempfli Gallery; John Weatherhill, Inc.,, 1965, Japanese paper portfolio secured with heavy braided cord.

First Edition, Fine

One of the most beautifully produced Japanese exhibition catalogues of the 1960s, uniting sculpture, typography, handmade paper, and traditional bookcraft into a single, harmonious design. Issued for Masayuki Nagare's major 1965 exhibition at New York's Staempfli Gallery, the publication transcends conventional gallery ephemera to become an artist-designed object in its own right, reflecting the growing dialogue between Japanese modernism and the American art world.

JAPANESE MODERNISM FOR AN AMERICAN AUDIENCE.
Produced for the exhibition, the catalogue presents Nagare's abstract stone and wood sculptures through richly printed monochrome illustrations and four tipped-in color plates, accompanied by Gordon Bailey Washburn's thoughtful essay, The Language of Stone. Together, they introduced American audiences to an artist whose work fused Zen aesthetics, traditional Japanese craftsmanship, and modernist abstraction into a distinctive sculptural language.

THE CATALOGUE AS THE MESSAGE.
Housed within an elegant handmade Japanese paper portfolio secured with braided cord, the publication embodies Nagare's belief that craftsmanship, material, and presentation are inseparable from the sculpture itself. Every element—from the handmade papers and restrained typography to the folding portfolio and traditional binding—reinforces the catalogue's role not simply as exhibition literature, but as an expression of the artist's aesthetic philosophy.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Original decorative handmade brown Japanese paper portfolio secured with heavy braided cord. Square format; 8.75 by 7.5 inches. Twenty-four pages printed on a combination of handmade rice paper and smooth stock. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographic reproductions and four tipped-in color plates. Includes Gordon Bailey Washburn's introductory essay, artist chronology, exhibition checklist, and detailed production colophon. Printed in Japan by John Weatherhill, Inc.; hand-bound with traditional materials.

CONDITION: Fine – No Flaws or Blemishes; Gift Quality.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
JAPANESE MODERNISM ARRIVES IN NEW YORK.
Issued for Masayuki Nagare's 1965 exhibition at the Staempfli Gallery, this catalogue documents an important moment in the introduction of post-war Japanese sculpture to American audiences. Working from traditions rooted in Zen aesthetics and Japanese craftsmanship while embracing modern abstraction, Nagare emerged as one of the leading sculptors bridging Eastern artistic philosophy and the international modernist movement. His exhibitions helped introduce a distinctly Japanese approach to modern sculpture at a time when American museums and galleries were actively expanding their engagement with post-war Japanese art and design.

THE CATALOGUE AS A WORK OF ART.
Long before exhibition catalogues became collectible in their own right, this publication demonstrated how the printed object could embody an artist's philosophy. The handmade Japanese paper portfolio, braided cord closure, rice-paper text leaves, restrained typography, tipped-in color plates, and carefully orchestrated folding structure transform the catalogue into an extension of Nagare's sculpture. Even the printed instructions explaining how to reconstruct the wrapper reveal that every aspect of its presentation was intentionally designed. It stands today as an exceptional example of mid-century Japanese book design produced for an American audience.

BEFORE THE MONUMENTAL COMMISSIONS.
Published while Nagare was still establishing his international reputation, the catalogue captures the sculptor immediately before his best-known public commissions brought his work to worldwide attention. The illustrated sculptures already display the flowing forms, polished surfaces, and dialogue between natural stone and human intervention that became hallmarks of his mature style. Seen today, the catalogue documents the formative period of an artist whose later architectural sculpture would become internationally recognized.

PRINTED BY MASTERS OF JAPANESE BOOKCRAFT.
The catalogue's importance extends beyond the exhibition it documents. Printed in Japan under the direction of John Weatherhill, using handmade papers, sophisticated typography, traditional binding techniques, and high-quality photographic reproduction, it exemplifies the remarkable standards of Japanese art publishing during the 1960s. For collectors today it occupies the intersection of sculpture, graphic design, private press craftsmanship, and exhibition history.

SUBJECTS: Masayuki Nagare; Japanese Modern Sculpture; Postwar Japanese Art; Staempfli Gallery; Gordon Bailey Washburn; John Weatherhill; Modern Sculpture; Japanese Design; Gallery Exhibition Catalogues; Stone Sculpture; Twentieth-Century Art; New York Art Scene; Exhibition Ephemera.

GENRES: Exhibition Catalogue; Artist's Book; Fine Printing; Japanese Book Arts; Gallery Ephemera; Illustrated Art Book.

PURCHASE DIRECTLY HERE
Please call with questions or to purchase 305.766.8270 [8:00 am to 8:00 pm EST].  Email [email protected]

We are pleased to work with Institutions according to their specific fiscal-year procurement requirements to facilitate acquisition.