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.
$5,800
RARE Art Card: The Cry, 1957 (Hand Signed and inscribed by Isamu Noguchi) Framed
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in New York, NY
This is an extraordinarily rare hand signed card of a modern master -- we likely won't see the likes of this again. Framed and ready to hang. Makes a great gift. Isamu Noguchi Offs...
Postcard
Price Upon Request
Nuska, Portrait of a Girl, unique bronze portrait by Isamu Noguchi 1924
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Nuska, Portrait of a Girl, bronze portrait, 1924, unique Isamu Noguchi (Japanese American 1904 - 1988); "Nuska, The Deaf Girl"; cire perdu cast bronze with complex dark patina on bronze base; 15 x lOx 8 inches; base 4.5 x 5.75 x 5,75 inches; signature quilled under and at back - "Isamu"; foundry stamp quilled in wax at the back - "Roman Bronze Works N.Y." Excellent condition. "Nuska, The Deaf Girl" is included in the Catalogue Raisonne of Noguchi's sculpture by Nancy Grove and Dianne Botnick (Garland, 1980) as Number 21. It is currently listed in the digital catalogue being assembled by the Isamu Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, New York as Number 10. This is apparently a unique casting, not part of an edition. This is an apparently early, cire perdu bronze cast by Roman Bronze Works, probably when the foundry was located in the Louis Comfort Tiffany red...
Bronze
$310
H 10 in W 7.325 in
Untitled Composition (Abstract, Postwar, European, Basque Modern Art)
By Eduardo Chillida
Located in Kansas City, MO
Eduardo Chillida Untitled Composition from "Ediciones Poligrafa, Barcelona at Redfern Gallery, London" Original Color Lithograph Year: 1979 Edition: 1000 Size: 10 x 7.325 inches (2...
Lithograph
$4,044
H 16.54 in W 10.24 in D 2.76 in
The hero must be alon. Limited Edition 2/5 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 26 W x 42 H x 7 D cm Weight: 4,1 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 2/5 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a b...
Metal, Bronze
Modern Pair of Oriental Numbered and Signed Etching
Located in Roma, IT
1970s Pair of black and white important numbered and signed etching. Japan 1973. Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by S...
Paper, Lithograph
$1,445
H 2.5 in W 16 in D 1.25 in
Shared Secrets 10/25 - Contemporary Figurative Bronze Iron Metal Wall Sculpture
By Mireia Serra
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mireia Serra creates sensuous bronze and iron sculptures showing the beauty of snapshots caught in life which are full of emotions and feelings along the life journey. Her metal artw...
Metal, Bronze, Iron
$5,777
H 14.97 in W 10.24 in D 9.06 in
Immersion. Limited Edition 2/5 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 26 W x 38 H x 23 D cm Weight: 7,6 kg Material: Bronze, patina Edition: 2/5 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a branded ...
Bronze
$1,479Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.56 in W 27.56 in D 1.19 in
Mario Schifano Signed Lithograph and Screenprint, Ondata di gelo, 1988–1989
By Mario Schifano
Located in Roma, IT
*Ondata di gelo*, 1988–1989, a signed graphic work by Mario Schifano (1934–1998), from the celebrated *Best Seller* series published by Edizioni Torcular. Executed as a lithograph w...
Paper
$800
H 25 in W 14 in
Berggruen abstract lithographic poster by Wassily Kandinsky, 1972
By Wassily Kandinsky
Located in New York, NY
This colorful modern lithographic poster by Wassily Kandinsky was printed in 1972 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris to promote an exhibition of his watercolors and drawings at the Gale...
Lithograph
$5,200
H 13.39 in W 13.39 in D 5.91 in
When Lambs Become Lions. Limited Edition 5/6 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 40 W x 45 H x 10 D cm Weight: 5 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 5/6 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a bran...
Metal, Bronze
$9,244
H 12.6 in W 17.33 in D 4.34 in
Golden Fleece. Limited Edition 8/10 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 44 W x 32 H x 11 D cm Weight: 6,7 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 8/10 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a ...
Metal, Bronze
$5,200
H 11.42 in W 4.73 in D 5.52 in
Volcano. Limited Edition 1/5 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 12 W x 29 H x 14 D cm Weight: 5,5 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 1/5 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a b...
Bronze
$6,355
H 7.88 in W 17.33 in D 4.34 in
Eternal battle. Limited Edition 1/3 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 44 W x 20 H x 11 D cm Weight: 5,6 kg Material: Bronze, patina Edition: 1/3 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a branded ...
Bronze
$5,777
H 20.87 in W 10.63 in D 4.34 in
The King's Way. Limited Edition 5/5 - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Riga, LV
Dimensions: 27 W x 53 H x 12 D cm Weight: 4,5 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: 5/5 + 1 AP, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a b...
Bronze, Metal
Sold
H 11.03 in W 8.67 in D 0.04 in
Letters by Isamu Noguchi and the Countess Anna Letitia Pecci-Blunt - 1948/49
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in Roma, IT
Lot of Autographs is a beautiful correspondence between Isamu Noguchi and the Countess Anna Letitia Pecci-Blunt, written 1948-49, in English, composed of three autograph letters sign...
Paper, Ink
Black and Blue
By Isamu Noguchi
Located in New York, NY
Painted aluminum in two parts, edition of 18, special proof Art © 2013 Estate of Isamu Noguchi / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York