Work (Mask)

In 1952, having gained access to the kilns of the potter and restaurateur Kitaōji Rosanjin (1883–1959) in Kamakura, Isamu Noguchi began experimenting with ceramics. He also visited Inbe, a region renowned for its Bizen ware, to study traditional wood-firing techniques, and collaborated with Kaneshige Tōyō (1896–1967)—who, in 1956, would be designated the first Living National Treasure of that pottery type. While in Tōyō’s studio, Noguchi created a plaster mold of an abstract “mask,” likely a stylized self-portrait, which was used to cast Work (Mask). The composition, with a concentrated look clenching a cigarette stub between the teeth, was inspired by the hand-built, unglazed haniwa of the Kofun period (ca. 300–710). A solo exhibition of Noguchi’s pioneering abstract ceramic artworks, held in 1952 in Kamakura, made a profound impression on a generation of progressive young potters. .