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Isamu Noguchi Books

Japanese, American, 1904-1988

A sculptor, painter, ceramicist and furniture and lighting designer, Isamu Noguchi was one of the most prolific and protean creative forces of the 20th century and a key figure in the development of organic modernism. Noguchi’s sculptures and designs — his chairs and tables as well as his timeless Akari lamp and other lighting fixtures — share a common spirit: one of lyrical abstraction, tempo and flow and harmonious balance.

Noguchi was born in Los Angeles to an American mother and Japanese father, and spent most of his childhood in Japan. He returned to the United States at age 13, went to high school in Indiana and enrolled at Columbia University to study medicine. At the same time, he took night courses in sculpture. 

Within three months, Noguchi left college to pursue art full time. Noguchi was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927 and traveled to Paris to work under Constantin Brancusi. It marked a turning point. Inspired by Brancusi, Noguchi embraced abstraction and began to sculpt in the expressive, rhythmic style that would be the hallmark of his work.

Once back in New York, Noguchi was introduced to design by what would become a lifelong collaboration creating sets for choreographer Martha Graham. His first industrial designs were in Bakelite: the sleek Measured Time kitchen timer created circa 1932, and his famed Zenith Radio Nurse intercom, from 1937. 

Ten years later, Herman Miller introduced Noguchi’s now-iconic glass-topped coffee table with an articulated wooden base. His washi paper and bamboo Akari light sculptures, handmade in Japan, debuted in 1951. In the late 1950s, Noguchi designed for Knoll, creating such pieces as his dynamic Cyclone table and rocking stool.

For collectors, Noguchi’s furniture and lighting designs remain his most accessible work — they have the same power and presence that Noguchi brought to his art.

Find vintage Isamu Noguchi floor lamps, table lamps, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi: Playscapes, Museo Tamayo
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Tivoli, NY
Unopened catalog from the 2016, Museo Tamayo exhibit Noguchi’s Playscapes. An exhibition that focused on the artist’s vision of playgrounds and the public space. The show revisits some of Isamu Noguchi’s key ideas on how to discuss play, recreation, and education, and thus provoke a reconsideration of these categories within the sense of community that exists in our times. Embracing the possibility of closing the gap between art and functionality, Noguchi fiercely defended the idea that sculpture is an aesthetic and cultural tool capable of smoothing our passage between individuality and society. He took a favorable view of the democratization of art and the public space, inspiring him to create a number of playgrounds and play structures...
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Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Books

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Paper

Isamu Noguchi: Aspects of a Sculptors Practice -Tim Threlfall- 1st Edition, 1992
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Seagull Books, Sussex, England 1992. A survey of Isamu Noguchi's practice by celebrated sculptor Tim Threlfall, who explores some of the elements - such as collaboration, the environment and humanism - that are crucial to Noguchi’s work. The author examines Noguchi’s work with all its multiplicity of meaning from his wonderful Akari to his set designs for the choreographer Martha Graham. In particular, his many conversations with the artist allow great insight into this most complex of modern sculptors...
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1990s British Mid-Century Modern Isamu Noguchi Books

Materials

Paper

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Van Gogh a Retrospective 1986 1st Edition
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Isamu Noguchi books for sale on 1stDibs.

Isamu Noguchi books are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Isamu Noguchi books, although blue editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original books by Isamu Noguchi were created in the mid-century modern style in united kingdom during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider books by Christie's, Lord Snowdon, and Ian Fleming. Prices for Isamu Noguchi books can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $160 and can go as high as $750, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $455.

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