Nagare, Masayuki

Nagare, Masayuki (b Nagasaki, 14 Feb. 1923).
Japanese sculptor. He had a samurai upbringing and his interest in martial arts led him to study with a swordsmith, laying the foundations of the understanding of materials and superb craftsmanship that he later displayed in his sculpture. His work is abstract but often evokes the human figure or other forms, such as the sharp edges and subtle curves of samurai sword blades. Most characteristically he works in granite, polished to mirror smoothness; often he contrasts sleek shapes with raw, rough surfaces, and he has also used other materials, including bronze and steel, with a similar feeling for their own special qualities. In the 1960s and 1970s he spent much of his time in the USA, where his work included Cloud Fortress (1969–75) in the plaza outside the World Trade Center, New York, consisting of two gigantic triangular clusters in black granite (it was destroyed as a result of the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001).