Lot 91: Minoru Niizuma

Japanese, 1930-1998
THE NEST
Signed with the Japanese character Ni and dated 69 on marble
White marble; on artist's wooden pedestal and steel base
Height of marble 14 inches, width 11 inches, depth 8 3/4 inches (35.5 x 28 x 22.2 cm.)
Steel base 15 x 20 7/8 (38.1 x 53.2 cm.)
Total height 51 inches (129.5 cm.)
Provenance:
Acquired from the artist in 1969
Born in Japan, Minoru Niizuma came to New York in 1959, where he befriended fellow sculptor Isamu Noguchi and taught at The Brooklyn Museum Art School and Columbia University. His forms are often inspired by Japanese folk art and ritual vessels. Niizuma's sculptures are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, among others.