Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

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.

Artist: Isamu Noguchi

Isamu NoguchiNuska, Portrait of a Girl, unique bronze portrait by Isamu Noguchi 1924, 1924

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...

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1920s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ian Rank-BroadleyMan with Arms Raised, 2023

$4,519

H 12.6 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in

Man with Arms Raised

Located in London, GB

Bronze Numbered 1/10 32cm × 10cm × 10cm (incl. base) Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK an...

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2010s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ser Uang HuangChildhood, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture, 2017

$5,140

H 10.63 in W 23.63 in D 4.73 in

Childhood, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture

Located in Taichung, TW

Part of Ser Uang Huang’s Childhood Series. Childhood is a work full of charm and playful creativity. The boy and girl figures are separate from the log-like base, allowing viewers to...

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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ian Rank-BroadleyTorso of Ryan, 2024

$14,254

H 22.45 in W 4.73 in D 15.75 in

Torso of Ryan

Located in London, GB

Bronze Numbered 2/10 57cm × 18cm × 40cm (incl. base) Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK an...

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2010s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ser Uang HuangHarmony, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture, 2019

$9,700

H 15.36 in W 5.91 in D 4.73 in

Harmony, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture

Located in Taichung, TW

Harmony is a whimsical and lighthearted work that captures the playful spirit of a group chorus. The three figures, each with a distinct mouth shape, appear to be singing in differen...

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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ian Rank-BroadleyArlen Reclining, 2014

$12,516

H 8.27 in W 10.24 in D 22.45 in

Arlen Reclining

Located in London, GB

Bronze Numbered 4/10 21cm × 26cm × 57cm Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK and Commonwealt...

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2010s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ser Uang HuangMidst of Waiting, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture, 2017

$3,180

H 16.15 in W 5.52 in D 4.73 in

Midst of Waiting, Contemporary Bronze Figure Sculpture

Located in Taichung, TW

Part of Ser Uang Huang’s Travelers Series. Huang has a gift for capturing fleeting yet profound moments from everyday life, and Midst of Waiting is one such example. Waiting is an in...

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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Elegant Brass Sculpture of Greyhound Dog, 1990

$4,208

H 19.69 in W 43.31 in D 9.85 in

Elegant Brass Sculpture of Greyhound Dog

Located in Rome, IT

Fine gilt bronze Greyhound dog sculpture. The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting. Excellent condition. The price is for 1 item

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1990s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Pair of Elegant Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Dogs, 1990

$6,613

H 35.44 in W 15.75 in D 21.66 in

Pair of Elegant Gilt Bronze Sculptures of Dogs

Located in Rome, IT

Fine pair of gilt bronze dog sculptures. The item will be well-suited to either an indoor or outdoor setting.

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1990s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Carlo RampazziSeating Group Green Velvet, 2007

$21,643

H 43.71 in W 98.43 in D 35.44 in

Seating Group Green Velvet

Located in Zug, CH

CARLO RAMPAZZI (b. 1949) Seating Group 2007 Sofa covered in green mohair velvet, supported by a bronze structure slide; Armchairs with shell artisan decoration, with green Haute Cout...

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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ian Rank-BroadleyMan with Hoop, 2023

$4,867

H 12.6 in W 5.91 in D 6.3 in

Man with Hoop

Located in London, GB

Bronze Numbered 2/10 32cm × 15cm × 16cm (incl. base) Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK an...

Category

2010s Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Cheng-Hsiung ChenLife-Size Bronze Sculpture: "Alms Bowl" Monk by Cheng-Hsiung Chen, 1982

$153,000

H 59.45 in W 16.93 in D 16.54 in

Life-Size Bronze Sculpture: "Alms Bowl" Monk by Cheng-Hsiung Chen

Located in Taichung, TW

Artist: Cheng-Hsiung Chen (b. 1942, Taiwan). Title: "Alms Bowl" Medium: Bronze with signature stone-like texture. Dimensions: H 151 × W 43 × D 42 cm (approx. 59.5 × 17 × 16.5 in). Ed...

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Late 20th Century Contemporary Isamu Noguchi Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ian Rank-BroadleyTroilus at the Spring, 2003

$7,996

H 17.33 in W 3.55 in D 13 in

Troilus at the Spring

Located in London, GB

Bronze Numbered 2/10 44cm × 9cm × 33cm (incl. base) The young prince Troilus goes to water his horse at the spring unaware of the ambush, which Achilles has prepared for him. A mome...

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