Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, Model 3A Table Lamp
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Centreville, VA
Akari Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design.
Bamboo, Paper
Rare Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture Model 6a with Kanji Patterns
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare and early Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture with screen-printed kanji patterns.
Metal
Early Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture, Model BB2/20A, Globe Bamboo Stand
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model BB2/20A. Noguchi’s Akari series was started in 1951.
Iron
Unique Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture 32N with Ligurian Stone Base
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sold separately. Unique Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture, model 32N with sculpted Ligurian stone base.
Limestone
Unique Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture 32N With Ligurian Stone Base
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Sold separately. Unique Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture, model 32N with sculpted Ligurian stone base.
Paper, Bamboo
Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Cculpture, Model BB2/20A Globe w Bamboo Base
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model BB2/20A. Noguchi’s Akari series was started in 1951.
Bamboo, Paper
Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture, model BB3-55A
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dallas, TX
This Noguchi Akari BB3-55A light sculpture, designed in 1954 and later produced by Ozeki & Co., Ltd., seamlessly fuses traditional Japanese craftsmanship with modernist design.
Enamel, Iron
1960s Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture Table Lamp
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in San Diego, CA
Isamu Noguchi Akari table lamp from the 1960s. Bamboo pole and iron rock form base. The paper shade has been replaced at some point with a genuine Noguchi signed shade. Made in Japan.
Iron
Isamu Noguchi, Vintage Akari Light Sculpture Floor Lamp, UF4/J1, Ozeki, Japan
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
Akari UF4-J1 floor lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951, and manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Gifu, Japan. Bamboo structure covered by washi paper supported by a coated metal base. ...
Metal
Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture Model UF4-L8 Floor Lamp, Japan, 2021
By Isamu Noguchi, Vitra
Located in Miami, FL
Iconic Japanese floor lamp rendered in a black painted steel frame with a suspended washing paper and bamboo shade with a cloth covered cord, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1951. Signe...
Steel
Akari Model 1N Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Glendale, CA
Akari Model 1N Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Akari Model 7A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Glendale, CA
Akari model 7A light sculpture by Isamu Noguchii.
Metal
Sold|$826 / item
Akari Model 20n Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Glendale, CA
Akari Model 20N light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Isamu Noguchi Akari Model 14A Light Sculpture in Washi Paper and Bamboo by Ozeki
By Vitra, Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Akari light sculpture (Model 14A) by Isamu Noguchi handcrafted from traditional washi paper and bamboo.
Metal
Pair of Akari Model 1A Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of Akari model 1A light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Sold|$6,000
Vintage Akari 3A UKAI by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
The Akari Light Sculptures are a perfect blend of aesthetic and functionality providing a beautiful conversation piece and light source.
Metal
Sold|$4,200 / set
Pair of Isamu Noguchi Akari 10A Floor Lamps
By Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, Akari, Isamu Noguchi
Located in Glendale, CA
Akari light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi are considered icons of 1950s modern design.
Metal
Vintage Akari 1P Light Sculpture Lamp by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in New York, NY
Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture. Model 1P table lamp. Washi paper shade supported by metal frame and marked with iconic red sun and moon ideogram.
Metal
Sold|$1,500
Isamu Noguchi "Akari" 22N Lamp, Ozeki, 1980s
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
"Akari Light Sculpture" model 22N designed by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Sold|$7,500 / set
Early Isamu Noguchi Lamps by Akari
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A beautiful pair of very early Isamu Noguchi designed light sculptures by Akari. Likely 1960’s vintage.
Iron
Sold|$1,250
Pair of Noguchi Akari Bamboo Floor Lamps
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in NYC, NY
A pair of Akari light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi (Model BB3-X3) featuring a skinny bamboo stand on a black cast iron base.
Vintage Isamu Noguchi Akari Paper Light Sculpture Table Lamp Model UF1-XN 1970s
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Troy, MI
A vintage model UF1-XN Akari light sculpture designed by Isamu Noguchi circa 1970s Iconic design with Washi paper shade and a minimalist 4 foot base frame Beautiful aging and patina...
Metal
Sold|$5,850
Isamu Noguchi Bb3 / 55dd Akari Floor Lamp
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Isamu Noguchi BB3-55DD Akari floor lamp part of the Akari light sculpture line by Isamu Noguchi, considered icons of 1950s modern design.
Iron
Isamu Noguchi "AKARI" Lamp with Bamboo Stand 'BB', 1960s
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Very rare "Akari Light Sculpture" with the stand of BB series.
Iron
Early Isamu Noguchi Akari Table Lamp BB1-30dd
By Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, Isamu Noguchi
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
An early Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture circa 1960s. Light features an enameled cast iron base with bamboo rod, and shade consisting of washi paper.
Iron
Sold|$1,295
Isamu Noguchi Akari Lamp
By Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, Isamu Noguchi, Vitra
Located in London, GB
In 1951 the multidisciplinary artist Isamu Noguchi began designing Akari Light Sculptures – 100 of them. Akari means ‘light’ in Japanese.
Metal
Early Akari Lamp by Isamu Noguchi, Bamboo, Washi Paper
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Round Rock, TX
An iconic Akari light sculpture designed by Isamu Noguchi, master of form and light.
Cut Steel
Paper Akari Pendant by Isamu Noguchi, 1951
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Starting from 1951, the American-Japanese artist and designer Isamu Noguchi designed the Akari Light Sculptures. For these objects he chose the name "Akari", a Japanese word meaning ...
Paper
Akari Table, Floor Lamp by Isamu Noguchi, Japan, 1980s - 1990s
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
An original Akari light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi, crafted in Japan with washi paper on a delicate wire frame.
Paper, Bamboo
Isamu Noguchi Floor Light, Akari UF3-Q, Washi Paper Shade with Black Spheres
By Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1, Isamu Noguchi
Located in Wargrave, Berkshire
An Akari light sculpture, model UF3-Q, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1951, and manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Gifu, Japan.
Metal
Isamu Noguchi, Akari Mod.22N Table Lamp, Daiko, Japan, C1980
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in London, GB
Akari means ‘light’ in Japanese, suggesting luminous and weightless.
Wire
Sold|$6,500
Isamu Noguchi Floor Lamp Model BB3-55DD
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Isamu Noguchi Akari light sculpture, Model BB3-55DD. Bought from the Original Owners who worked in Japan as Architects in the 1950's.
Metal
Isamu Noguchi Akari pendant Model N°30P, Gifu, Japan, 1990s
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in London, GB
Akari means ‘light’ in Japanese, suggesting luminous and weightless.
Paper
Sold|$7,024
Akari table lamp by Isamu Noguchi, 1950s
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in PARIS, FR
In 1951, Noguchi began creating his Akari light sculptures, which seem to defy the laws of gravity.
Paper
Pair of Isamu Noguchi BB1-30DD Akari table lamps - Japan, 1956
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in London, GB
In 1951, he began designing Akari Light Sculptures to reinvigorate the flailing craft of Gifu lantern-making at Ozeki & Co.
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$1,600
Vintage Isamu Noguchi Floor Lamp
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Authentic Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture lamp is anchored by a dome of heavy black iron and topped by a lightweight paper shade.
Akari Model 1A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original first production Akari model 1A light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Collection of Five Light Sculptures by Isamu Noguchi for Akari
By Akari, Isamu Noguchi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Designed by Noguchi and handmade for over a half century by the original manufacturer in Gifu, Japan, the paper lanterns are a blend of Japanese handcraft and modernist form. The lam...
Metal
Early and Rare Model 19A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi for Akari
By Akari, Isamu Noguchi
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Early and Rare Model 19A Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi for Akari. Manufactured in Japan, 1951.
Steel
Sold|$20,480 / set
Pair Early Isamu Noguchi for Knoll Model 9 Table Lamps C. 1947
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This lamp was designed prior to Isamu Noguchi starting his Akari light sculpture series in 1951. Cherry, fiberglass-reinforced polyvinyl.
Cherry
Sold|$1,650
Isamu Noguchi Akari 33N Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 33N lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Wired for U.S. standards. This fixture has one socke...
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$1,350
Isamu Noguchi Akari UF2-33N Light
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Model number UF2--33N table or floor lamp by Isamu Noguchi for Akari. Original quite recent version manufactured by Ozeki & co in Japan. Rice paper, enameled metal. Retains manufac...
Steel
Isamu Noguchi Akari 70N Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 70N lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Rewired for U.S. standards. New cord and canopy from N...
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$2,650
Isamu Noguchi Akari 75D Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 75D lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Rewired for U.S. standards. New cord and canopy from N...
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$1,150
Isamu Noguchi Akari 70N Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 70N lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Wired for U.S. standards. New cord and black enamele...
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$2,850
Isamu Noguchi Akari 75D Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 75D lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Rewired for U.S. standards. New cord and canopy from...
Bamboo, Paper
Sold|$1,750
Isamu Noguchi Akari 33N Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 33N lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Wired for U.S. standards. Recent version in immacula...
Bamboo, Paper
Akari Model 33n Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Isamu Noguchi lighting, vintage 33n of the Akari series. What was left of the dead stock. A tag from the time is also included. This is one of Akari's early vintage pieces in good...
Metal
Isamu Noguchi Akari 39 Extra Large Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Dronten, NL
Akari 39 extra large lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi, 1951. Manufactured by Ozeki & Co. in Japan. Bambu structure covered by washi paper. Original 1950s version, new cord and canopy ...
Bamboo, Paper
Akari Model 22n Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi, 1980s
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Akari was designed by Isamu Noguchi. This was made in the 1980s. The package comes with.
Iron
Sold|$8,800
Model 31N Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Akari
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 31N light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. Designed and manufactured in Japan, circa 1960s. Original metal and Mirogami paper from the inner bark of mulberry tree. Rewired for U.S. ...
Metal
Sold|$2,400 / set
Pair of Vintage Isamu Noguchi Akari 1N Light Sculpture Table Lamps
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A pair of vintage Isamu Noguchi Akari 1N table lamps. This beautiful pair of vintage table lamps began production in the 1950s when Noguchi first created the design. To this day, the...
Metal
Isamu Noguchi Akari Ceiling Lamp 36N: A Masterpiece of Light and Design
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Isamu Noguchi Akari Ceiling Lamp 36N: A Masterpiece of Light and Design Illuminate your space with the timeless elegance of the Isamu Noguchi Akari Ceiling Lamp 36N, a true work of ...
Bamboo
Akari Light Sculpture Lamp 1n by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in San Diego, CA
Akari light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. The shade is made from washi paper and bamboo ribs with Noguchi Akari sun and moon stamp, signature and marked Japan.
Metal
Isamu Noguchi 'Endless Column' Hanging Akari Light Sculpture
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Isamu Noguchi 'Endless Column' hanging Akari light sculpture. Suspension model D. A tribute to Noguchi’s mentor, Brancusi, with whom he studied for a period in Paris.
Metal
Monumental Akari Light Sculpture Model UF4-31N by Isamu Noguchi
By Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Glendale, CA
Monumental Akari Light Sculpture Model UF4-31N by Isamu Noguchi.
Metal
Vintage Isamu Noguchi Akari Light Sculpture 21A Pendant Saucer Lamp Unused
By Akari, Isamu Noguchi, Ozeki & Co. Ltd. 1
Located in Troy, MI
Vintage unused model 21A Akari light sculpture by Isamu Noguchi Manufactured in Gifu Japan by Ozeki circa late 1970s Handmade shade of washi paper over bamboo ribbing with sun and ...
Bamboo, Paper
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.
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.
Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.
Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat.
Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.
As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.
There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation.
With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.
The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.