But the pieces of the collection that were placed in storage, and are shown on a rotating basis, aren’t as lucky.

The late Japanese American artist’s legacy is on permanent view at the Queens museum, where many of the works were installed by the artist himself. Along with its famous Socrates sculpture garden, the museum’s floor showcases 360 original Noguchi works, which are luckily still intact.

But the pieces of the collection that were placed in storage weren’t as lucky. Located in the basement of the museum, the area was flooded by East River waters at the height of the storm, where the flooding remained stagnant, damaging countless pieces. Thankfully, museum staff have said that although many works are damaged, they are not beyond repair, with a majority of the work fixable with a good cleaning.

The entire area around the museum was flooded after Hurricane Sandy, including the adjacent Socrates Sculpture Park, which sits right on the waters edge. The park reopened last week, and The Noguchi Museum plans to reopen to the public within the next two weeks.

+ The Noguchi Museum

Via DNA Info