Nara Convention Hall, Nara, Japan, Preliminary sketches
Arata Isozaki
Japanese, born 1931
1992
Preliminary ink sketches on tracing paper in which architect Arata Isozaki experiments with sculptural, boatlike roof forms and sectional ideas for his Nara Convention Hall.
The sheet reads like a stream of thought—quick, repeating pen marks rotate through elongated, podlike sectional sketches and small plan fragments, their overlapping contours suggesting movement, scale, and shifting viewpoints.
As a working drawing by a leading late‑20th‑century architect, it makes visible the moment ideas become forms, showing how freehand draughtsmanship helped translate conceptual gestures into the complex geometry of contemporary public buildings.
Medium
Ink on tracing paper
Dimensions
12 x 33 1/2" (30.5 x 85.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the architect
Accession
153.1993
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
