Shigeo Fukuda: Great Works. IDEA Special Issue November 1991. by Fukuda Shigeo - 1991

Offering: The first Shigeo Fukuda retrospective publication, produced with his supervision and beautifully laid out with separate sections for each genre and media form with many color reproductions. Offered is the exceptional negative space presentation for Paul Rand with extra, full size color plates. Paul Rand and Shigeo Fukuda had a longstanding friendship. Paul Rand organized "Toys and Things Japanese", Shigeo Fukuda's first independent exhibition in the United States. On the first page is a reproduction of Paul Rand's poster for that exhibition. The signed-dated inscription is done in English in a cool comics style-inside two hand drawn, cloud-shape windows with captions-at the ears of the two adjoining figures. (Fukuda originally wanted to be a cartoonist.) The first figure, representing Fukuda, appears partially hidden from the viewer in a fold in space. Extra Color Reproductions: Four altered portraits, including after Botticelli and da Vinci, each reproduced on one side of a leaf with taped title label, the leaves stapled and originally laid-in. The works are dated from 1992 and couldn't be included with the selection of 34 altered portraits in the IDEA issue. Sticker Stamps: one sheet of mounted color sticker stamps, reproducing 132 selected Fukuda works from the IDEA special issue. Pagination: Complete, 120 pages, divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs and artworks with reproductions of 517 Fukuda works, many organized in double-page spreads, most in color, and with 17 b/w Fukuda drawings, fifteen in a rear comments section about the creation process in his work; (1) page, final page of issue with IBM ad featuring Fukuda's altered Mona Lisa portrait + laid in sheet with mounted sticker stamps. Rear documentation includes a chronology, an excellent selected exhibition history and two portrait photos of the artist, one contemporary, one at age 2. Format: Publisher's deep pink and black pictorial wrappers with black letters in an adhesive perfect binding. Both the upper and the lower wrapper sides were designed by Fukuda, the upper side commissioned for the issue, the lower side reproducing a superb Fukuda design for a Japanese brand of artist paints. Size: 297 x 225 mm (11.69 x 8.86 inches). Condition: Pages clean, some with a light bottom tip bend / Wrappers bright and clean with light rubs and tip wear, upper side with light bottom edge wear, slight crown push-in; presentation with slight ink splatter / Binding: Very Good, hinges visible. / Fukuda Sticker Stamps: 130 stamps pristine, lacking 131 and 132, last two stamps in bottom row. / Extra Stapled Reproductions: laid-in leaves taller than magazine with consequent top margin creasing and crumpling. Edition Note: Edited by Minoru Takita and printed by Nishiki in Japan. Shigeo Fukuda [1932-2009]: Protean and humorous, he executed striking works in many different media. In interviews he emphasized the value of these qualities, associated with childhood and so often overlooked and dismissed, stating, "play is the very essence of my work." Shigeo Fukuda became widely known in the design world and gained international prominence through a series of exceptional showings, first in 1966 at a Czechoslovakian graphic design competition, and then in 1967, when his poster designs were exhibited for Japan at the Montreal Expo and his first solo exhibition in the United States, "Toys and things Japanese" was held at the IBM Gallery, curated by Paul Rand. The 120 handcrafted wooden objects with their abiding ties to Japanese culture could variously be described, as toys, puzzles or sculptures. Many were originally created as playthings for his daughter. Some could be alternatively assembled, such as the beautiful "Birdtree" that could be constructed to become a bird, or a tree. From 1972, he was a frequent gold medalist at international poster exhibitions for illusionist designs advocating peace and protection of the environment. He is often referred to as an illusion artist because his designs, installations and altered art play with perspective and shift to other forms. But his vision has a larger purpose, for by their very nature, such designs foster consideration of alternative perspectives and our movement in being through space and time. His influential text, "Visual Illusion" was published in 1982. In 1987, Shigeo Fukuda was the first designer from Japan to be inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Additional Images: by request.