LONG ISLAND CITY, NY.- When the new Queens Library at Long Island City opens on June 15, it will proudly feature what the sculptor Toshio Sasaki's widow calls "his legacy." "Diagonal Sonata/Asymmetrical Inversion" is sand-blasted and etched into terra cotta on the façade of the library. It simultaneously conveys energy and soothing calm, similar to how waves lapping the beach do.

Most appropriately for a library building, the 40' x 30' graphics are formed by quotations from great works of philosophy, poetry and literature, a seamless blend of language and visual art.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, artist Toshio Sasaki's talent has made an indelible mark on the City of New York with the creation of numerous public works from Fordham University to The New York Aquarium. He was an accomplished artist who was also a finalist for the World Trade Center Memorial Contribution. He died March 10, 2007 of stomach cancer. The work on the Queens Library at Long Island City is his final work.