The objective of this study is to clarify how modern art influenced the space theory of Garrett Eckbo (1910-), one of the central figures in modern American landscape design. The fifty-two articles written by him from 1937 through 1969, including four theory books, have been examined to extract the evidences of his consciousness to modern art. Sixty-three testimonies extracted from twenty-one articles have been considered in relation with his spatial theory and philosophical thinking, which have been also figured out from these articles. The result shows variety of modern art influences upon his spatial theory, which are summarized as follows. 1) Eckbo's awareness of landscape design far behind the rest of whole modern movements in art became the driving force to establishment of his own spatial theory. 2) Eckbo composed the framework of his theory based on the concepts extracted from modern art, and applied Smith's art principles to his theory in order to achieving beauty common to modern art and design. 3) Modern art had been the inspiration source for Eckbo's creation of unprecedent forms by applying the outcomes of art research into space and form. One of such examples was that application of spatial characteristics found in both De Stijl painting and Mies architecture to his garden space came to the invention of the form embraced with both variety of enclosures and continuity of space. 4) Ideal forms were discovered through abstraction of rural landscape and natural forms. Eckbo had found the concept of abstraction in modern paintings and sculptures. It has been also interpreted that Eckbo had been considering his theory and practice to be a part of modern movements in art. Regarding to such consciousness, it seems necessary to evaluate his forms compared with the other works of modern art. The result implies two directions for the comparative analysis.

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