Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi: Best of Friends

Best of Friends is an informal, close-up biography of the friendship between Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) and Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). Author Shoji Sadao, who was a friend and business partner to both, chronicles the deep and abiding respect, affection, and support they had for one other. Fuller’s development of his Dymaxion Map, Geodesic geometry, and the Dymaxion Car are discussed in detail as are Noguchi’s multi-faceted career as sculptor,landscape architect, industrial designer, and dance set designer, an artist without borders who challenged the artificial opposition between the fine and applied arts. Sadao’s role as partner to both offered him privileged access to details unavailable to others. Influences on their work are noted, significant projects are described and illustrated, and pertinent quotes are cited, all contributing to a warm and intimate illustrated narrative that documents the exceptional relationship between these two great twentieth-century artists.